Magical Wedding 2
by theshadowcat
Summary: Just like the last one, but it's Abe and Maggie's turn. The nineth story in the 'Magic' series. Rated M for sexual content. Please R&R COMPLETE!
1. Wedding

Ok, more lemony goodness coming your way. Please note the R rating for the next chapter.

**Disclaimer**: I own almost all of the graphic novels, all of the regular novels, the director's cut DVD and an Abe plushy. THAT'S IT! I don't own anything else. Though I wouldn't say no to renting Abe.

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Maggie paces around her room like a caged tiger. Her nerves are about shot and she's not sure she can take it any more. Sharon watches her out of the corner of her eye, as she applies the final touches to her own makeup.

"Will you please calm down?" Sharon asks irritably. "You're going to sweat all of your makeup off and then I'll have to do it all over again. Not to mention you'll make your hair go flat."

"I can't help it," Maggie moans as she finally stops moving and leans her head against the door jam to the bathroom. "I've never been so nervous in all my life. I feel like something is about to explode."

"Trust my, honey, nothing's going to explode," Sharon says calmly. "Just take some deep breaths and everything will be fine. It'll be over before you know it."

Maggie glares at her until Sharon's mother, Stephanie, sticks her head in the door and looks at them.

"They're almost ready," she says.

"Thank you, Mother," Sharon replies. She gently pulls the wedding dress off of its hanger and walks over to Maggie. "Let's get you dressed."

Maggie nods as she unties the robe she's wearing with shaking hands. With Sharon's help, she puts on the gown. Sharon buttons up the back of the dress as Maggie puts her grandmother's pearl necklace on. Maggie puts her shoes on as Sharon retrieves their bouquets. Just as they're finishing getting ready, Stephanie returns.

"They're ready now," she tells them. "Are you ready?"

Maggie takes one last look at herself in the mirror. The high scoop neck comes up to her collar bone. With her free hand she smoothes out the material of the A-line skirt. She takes a deep breath and lets it out willing the nervousness out with it. She takes a look at her aunt and nods.

The three women leave the room, head downstairs, out the front door and then towards the outside stairs that lead to a path that leads to the lake. Guillermo meets them at the top of the final set of stairs wearing a tux. Stephanie goes down and takes her seat. Then John escorts Maggie's grandmother to her seat. They're followed by Sharon and finally Guillermo leads Maggie out to face her future.

The setting sun has turned the sky to various shades of reds, pinks and blues. The sight before Maggie is incredible as she and Guillermo make their way down to the lake shore. Her brain barely registers the guests consisting of family and friends from the BPRD. She doesn't even seem to notice Sharon, Hellboy or the priest standing at the end of the aisle. All she can see is Abe.

For a change he's wearing normal pants, a button up shirt though the top few buttons are undone, and a jacket. He still has to wear the respirator and on any one else it would have looked silly. But the fact that he's wearing a tux, which has to be uncomfortable for him, is enough to melt her heart.

He watches her in awe. It still baffles him that a being so beautiful would want to spend the rest of her life with him. Her hair is a cascade of auburn curls down her back and shoulders. The reddish color of her hair brings out the color of her hazel eyes. He can't tear away from those eyes.

Finally, she is standing next to him and stares into those incredible dark blue eyes. The ceremony begins, but Maggie and Abe are barely aware of it. Nothing else seems to exist except the two of them. In a blissful haze, they take their vows. And when they finally kiss, the world simply disappears.

When their lips finally part, the world rudely reestablishes itself with the sound of cheering. Both blush and smile before turn and heading back up the aisle and the stairs finally returning to the house as the sun casts its final rays of the day.

In the large open area just behind the house, tables and chairs have been set up. Tiki torches that circle the area and the lanterns hanging from the trees have all been lit. Looking up, Maggie can see hundreds of fairies flitting through the branches. The light from the lanterns, torches and fairies give the entire scene an otherworldly glow to it.

Soon everyone is seated and eating dinner prepared by the chefs from the BPRD. John finds himself at a table with Guillermo, some of Maggie's family and a couple of agents. Introductions are made and it turns out that John is sharing a table with Maggie's cousin Jeff and his wife Pat. After a few minutes of talking to the couple, John realizes something that leaves him a bit confused.

"Can I ask you something?" John asks Jeff.

"Sure," Jeff answers.

"Are you related to Maggie through her father or mother?" John inquires.

"Her father," John replies. "All of the family here is from her father's side of the family."

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but…," John starts.

"But where's the family from her mother's side?" Guillermo finishes.

"Yea," John responds.

"They're not here because of me," Guillermo says quietly with a sigh. "You know the story of how Maggie's parents met, right?"

John nods his head.

"Well, when Selma's parents found out that Rupert was an Air Mage, they disowned her on the spot," Guillermo states sadly. "Maggie has tried to establish a relationship with them, but they have made it abundantly clear that they want nothing to do with her. They were so angry with what they felt was a betrayal, they even went so far as to sever ties with my family. It breaks my heart that our families whose friendship lasted generations, wars and hardships unnumbered were ended because of prejudice."

"Do yourselves a favor," Jeff warns the agents. "Don't ever bring this up to Maggie. It's a sore subject with her and she tends to get a bit upset when it's brought up. My cousin, Kevin, commented on it one time several years ago. She dropped him in hole up to his neck and then closed it around him. It took us several hours to dig him out."

Further conversation is halted by the wedding cake being brought out. The Mad Painter has struck again. The groom wedding cake topper has been painted blue this time.

The rest of the evening passes quietly with only the people who seem to be part owl staying past midnight. Of those remaining only a few of Maggie's unmarried cousins, some agents, and Hellboy are still there as it approaches 2:00 in the morning. Of course, Liz fell asleep some time ago and is currently sleeping in one of the guest bedrooms. The others are now in the living room enjoying Hellboy and Abe telling them of some of the monsters they have fought.

Maggie and Abe sit at one end of the couch with Abe's arm circled around her shoulders. Maggie repositions herself to get more comfortable and Abe's arms pull her closer to him. She lovingly rubs her hand over his arm until she comes in contact with his skin.

She stands up, dragging him with her. She marches out of the room, down the hall and into the bathroom with an ashamed Abe in tow. Once they're in the bathroom, she releases his hand and then starts to fill the tub. Without a word, she sweeps out of the room and closes the door quietly, but firmly behind her.

Abe smiles and shakes his head as he starts to strip. By the time he's done, the tub is filled a little over half way. Adjusting the temperature, he lets it fill a bit further and then climbs in letting the water sooth his parched skin.

Meanwhile, Maggie returns to the empty living room. Hearing a noise behind her, she quickly turns and sees Hellboy descending the staircase with Liz sleeping in her arms.

"Figured it was the best time to get going," he explains before she can ask what happened to her guests.

"I'll come out and see you off then," she replies.

She opens the front door for him and he steps through sideways in order not to bump his sleeping wife. Maggie follows him out and then says her goodbyes to her friends and family. She watches as the last car disappears down the driveway and through the gate. Turning around, she heads back into the house.


	2. Afterwards

She stands looking out the bedroom window watching the light of the moon reflecting off of the lake. It's been nearly six hours since the ceremony started, and now she's waiting for him to come out of the bath. She's waiting to finish what was started a year and a day ago.

No more interruptions, no more accidental walk ins, and especially, no more stupid warning claxons going off. The phone's been unplugged, the cat has been moved to the BPRD and everyone has been told to stay far away. They don't care if the end of the world is coming tomorrow; tonight is theirs, just the two of them enjoying each other fully. She's waited a year and a day for this, and now she's frightened out of her wits.

She tries not to think about all the times that they tried to be together only to be disturbed every single time. It's been a frustration marathon, and she's exhausted. She doesn't want to be frustrated any more, and she's scared that this time will be like all the others. She's terrified that they'll be so close, only to have happiness torn away from them again.

"Not this time, my love," she hears him say quietly from behind her.

She gives a little jump and a gasp, but she doesn't turn around. She just closes her eyes. He steps up behind her and places his hands on her shoulders. He can feel her fears and he shares them

"Is this a dream?" she asks.

Moving closer, he whispers in her ear, "No."

"Then make it real," she quietly begs as she turns to him.

He stands there with only a towel on. The soft golden glow of the candles lighting the room make his skin look green. He smiles as he gently cups her head in his hands.

"As you wish," he breathes just before he kisses her.

The tip of his tongue touches her lips. Her lips part to allow him access. Their tongues touch and her mind goes blank. Her hands start tracing his fins, finding the ones that are the most sensitive. His hands start caressing her, running across the silk robe she's wearing. She feels his hand sneak in between them as he unties it.

Soon the robe is in a pile at her feet and he's running his hands over her bare arms and back. She feels him starting to play with the straps of her night gown. She pushes back, breaking off their kiss. He gets a good look at the new night gown and she sees his eyes get a bit bigger. He starts to pull her toward him again and she stops him.

She reaches over and pulls off the towel. She can see he's already at half mast. Beginning at the base of his neck, she starts kissing her way down his chest and then his stomach finally stopping at his waist. She slowly stands up straight again, rubbing herself against him as she does. Carefully reaching in between them, she cradles his manhood in her hand and starts to stroke it, bringing him to full arousal. He lets out a low deep moan.

He takes her hands into his and pulls her to him. He reclaims her lips as something very hard pushes into her stomach. As he slowly traces his nails up her arms, she feels goose bumps forming on her arms and her nipples hardening. He gets to her shoulders and pushes the straps off.

Half way down, the night gown gets caught on his upright member. She reaches over and runs her hand along the length of his organ and gently disentangles the night gown from him. As she goes past the tip, she hears a sound resonating in his chest that sounds something between a moan and a growl.

He picks her up and carries her to the bed. He lays her down, sandwiching her between him and the mattress. She opens her legs so he can be closer. His lips leave hers and he starts to work his way down. He stops at her chest. His tongue circles and plays with her hardened nipple as his hand gently fondles the other one. She gives a cry of pleasure as her back arches and her groin gets hot. She feels his free hand reach her hip and starts trying to pull off her panties. His other hand joins its brother, and the last article of clothing finally disappears. She caresses his head with one hand as she gently strokes his gills with the other. She can feel them flutter under her hand.

Suddenly, his lips are on hers again and he's sliding into her. She gasps and moans in response to the sudden discomfort. He waits patiently for her to adjust to him. Finally, her hands grab his hips and he knows she's ready. He pushes his hips into her and she curves her pelvis in response. He drives his hardness into her faster and faster. She can't kiss him any more because she's too busy crying his name in ecstasy. Then she feels herself reaching the edge.

Suddenly, all the barriers are down. The two of them are now one in soul, body and mind as every thought, feeling and memory is shared. Each knows what it's like for the other and that makes it even more erotic.

He gives one final thrust as she arches her back and screams his name. They lay there, wrapped around each other, panting at first and then gently kissing. Neither one of them wanting to believe it's truly over. After what seems to be a short eternity later, Abe rolls off of her, and lies down beside her, pulling the covers over them. He's lying on his back so his gills can move freely. She manages to snuggle up to him and lay her head on his chest. She closes her eyes and listens to his heart slowing down back to a normal rate as he starts to stroke her hair.

"I love you," she says quietly. She finally notices that the candles have all been blown out. "Who blew out the candles?"

"You did, my Air Mage," he quietly chuckles as he cranes his neck to kiss the top of her head. "Go to sleep."

That's all the invitation she needs. She relaxes into him, and just before sleep takes her, she hears one last sweet sound.

"I love you."


	3. The Day After

Maggie wakes slowly. Her room is brighter than normal, but this doesn't quite register on her sleep fogged brain. Letting out a huge yawn, she stretches her sore, tired muscles. Finally, she opens her eyes and takes notice of the abundance of light despite the closed curtains. Glancing over at the clock, she sees it's well after 11:00 in the morning, though her brain is having trouble registering this fact.

She lies there in a happy daze where everything seems right in the world though she's not quite sure why. She can smell the flowers blooming outside and hear the birds singing on the other side of the window. She squirms around trying to get more comfortable and realizes that she's not wearing anything. Startled, she wakes fully and sits up. The sticky wet feeling between her thighs quickly reminds her why she's naked and a smile crosses her face.

Remembering what happened after the guests left last night brings some very powerful feelings to the surface. Her body responds by heating up a certain area and makes her want to be touched again. A shiver runs down her spine and goose bumps appear on her arms as her heart beat and breathing get a bit faster.

Looking around, she notes that she's alone in the large bed. She knew that this was going to happen. She and Abe discussed it some time ago. He can't stay out of water for too long, or there will be problems, so it's impossible for him to stay in bed with her. While she does understand, it doesn't mean that some small part of her, hidden in the back of her mind, hadn't hoped that he would be there when she woke up.

With a sigh, she swings her legs over the side of the bed and stands only to almost fall. An unexpected ache in her hips and legs catches her by surprise. She leans against the bed for a moment until she feels like she can move again and starts to cross the room. Picking up her discarded robe off of the floor, she dons it. Then she heads out of the room and downstairs.

She's still not quite fully awake yet and coffee is definitely top of her to do list. She enters the kitchen and sees that someone has already set up the coffee maker. She sends a thankful prayer to that person and turns the machine on.

Turning back around, she leaves the kitchen and heads down the hall to the bathroom. She decides to take her shower while waiting for the coffee maker to do its thing. After a minute, the hot water finally makes it to the tap.

She hangs the robe on the back of the door and steps into the spray, quickly adjusting the temperature and eventually finds the smallest thing known to man: the line between too hot and too cold. With a sigh of relief, she closes her eyes. She leans against the wall letting the hot water wash down her back and loosen the tight muscles in her back. Rocking from side to side, she tries to get the aching muscles in her hips and thighs to ease up.

She's slightly startled by the sound of the shower door opening and a gust of cool, dry air comes rushing in causing her to slightly shiver. She briefly glances over her shoulder as a tall thin blue figure joins her. He closes the door behind him, stands behind his wife and admires the view.

"Abe, I love you with all of my heart, but if you don't get out of the way of the water, I won't be held responsible for my actions," she states by way of greeting.

"Good morning, to you to," Abe chuckles in response.

Forcing her to step back, he slides between her and the wall, letting her lean against him. The movement causes her to wince slightly, but she tries to hide it. Laying her ear next to his heart, she listens to the soothing beat.

He starts to rub his hands up and down her back causing her to quietly moan with pleasure. The combination of her bare body leaning against him, the moaning and the warm water is enough to cause a certain part of his body to start to wake up.

"Are you all right?" he asks.

"Tired mostly," she answers. "I had company over last night, they kept me up _well_ past my bed time, and then some blue sex god ravaged me until I couldn't see straight."

"So, how was the ravaging?" he inquires a smile starting to tug at the corners of his mouth.

"Well, seeing as I have no basis of comparison other than that one time, I can't answer that question," she teases looking up into his dark eyes.

"I'll see what I can do," he offers, the waking body part is almost fully roused. "What else is wrong?"

"Hips and legs are sore," she replies. "I guess they're not used to those types of activities."

"You know the best way to deal with sore muscles, don't you?" he asks, his body is now completely awake and his hands travel south towards the sore muscles, caressing wherever they wander.

"Well, there's soaking in a tub of hot water," she answers while her hands play across his chest. "There's also massage."

"And then there's movement," he rumbles in her ear as he hands roam down even further. "Movement is best for getting the lactic acid build up out of those muscles. I highly recommend movement."

"And what type of movement did you have in mind?" she purrs as her own hands slide down his abdomen.

Never taking her eyes off of his face, her hands wander down his hips and gently start to tease his awakened member. Slipping fingers down either side of his penis, she barely touches him causing him to gasp, gills fully flaring out from his neck, and his eyes widening considerably. Grabbing her hands and pulling her flush to him, his lips capture hers in a passionate kiss.

"I can think of some movements to help those sore muscles," he says in a husky whisper after finally letting her up for air.

"Oh, really? And what would that be?" she gasps.

His lips answer her with another kiss and his hands wander down her water slicked chest. Cupping each breast in his hands, he gently rubs his thumbs over the small pink buds causing them to harden. She gives a deep moan into his mouth as her hands travel over the back of his head to his neck and gills.

Suddenly, his lips move from hers and start to work their way down. Soon they find a hardened bud and her moans become cries of pleasure as she arches into him. Another stroke of the gills and she's in his arms and pressed against the wall. She wraps her legs around his waist as his lips reclaim hers.

After a few failed attempts, his tip finds her opening. Carefully lowering her down, he buries himself deep inside her hot core. She moans his name while he starts to pull in and out drawing out her pleasure as long as he can as her hips match his. He tries to hold back, but soon it to much and he's moving faster and faster, her own hips keeping pace. Her panting and moaning his name is bringing him closer to the edge. He can feel her muscles constricting around him as she starts to plunge over the edge, so he speeds up the tempo even more, pushing her harder into the wall.

All of her muscles seem to contract at the same time as his mental shields collapse once more. As she screams his name, he finds his own release in her.

"We'll work on those sore muscles some more later," he whispers in her ear. "I swear."

"I'm going to hold you to that," she teasingly threatens as her exhausted legs release him and slide towards the floor.

"As long as that's not the only thing you hold to me," he replies with a smile while he lets her down and keeping hold of her before her legs give out.

"I really should finish getting washed," she states. "The water heater isn't endless."

"I'll help," he offers as he grabs the bottle of shampoo.

Within moments, Abe's hands are up the wrists in lather as he washes her hair. Maggie leans into the ministrations, practically purring. She's nearly asleep when he pushes her head under the stream of water. Sputtering in surprise and indignation, she looks over at him and shoots him a dirty look.

"I think I'd better do the rest," she says as she takes a step away from him.

"Are you sure you don't want help washing your back?" he asks, picking up the bar of soap.

"Not unless you've suddenly become the poster boy for Viagra," she answers, barely containing her laughter and grabbing the soap out of his hand. "Go get something to eat; I'll be out in a few minutes."

He gives her one last lingering kiss and then leaves. With a sigh, she finishes washing and finally emerges from the shower just as the water from the water heater starts to cool. She quickly dries, grabs her robe and leaves the bathroom.

She gives out a gasp when she opens the door. A blue arm and hand is holding a large glass with an orange liquid in it.

"Where's my coffee?" she asks, eyeing the glass suspiciously.

"I poured it down the drain," he answers.

"That's grounds for divorce I'll have you know," she growls. "Why did you pour my coffee down the drain?"

"Caffeine is bad for the baby," he replies.

"Baby? What baby?" she demands, glaring at him. "We've only done it twice! It's a little early to be decorating the nursery, don't you think?"

"According to both your grandmother and Guillermo, Mages conceive the first time they make love," he responds with a smile as he holds the glass out for her.

With an exasperated sigh, she takes the drink and sips. A shudder runs through her body as the tart flavor hits her taste buds. She starts heading up the stairs and thinks of making another pot of coffee later while Abe is soaking.

"I've hidden the coffee and the coffee maker as well," he tells her retreating back.

She pauses for a moment before continuing her ascent, grumbling the whole way. Several minutes later she comes back downstairs and heads for the kitchen. On the kitchen table is a salad with a note next to it.

_My love,_

_Here's your lunch. Please take the vitamins after you've eaten. I've gone for a swim; maybe you can join me later._

_Love, _

_Abe_

Grumbling some more she looks at her meal waiting for her. Lying on the table beside the glass of water next to the plate is a rather large yellow pill. Picking it up, she examines it.

"Magick wouldn't be able to swallow this thing," she complains to the empty room.

She looks around for the bottle that it came from and sees it on the counter. She crosses the room and picks up the container.

"Prenatal vitamins? I don't believe this," she grouses. "We haven't even been married for twenty-four hours and he's already talking babies. What am I? An incubator?"

Slamming the bottle to the counter, she returns to her lunch and eats it. After several minutes of getting up the courage, she even manages to swallow the pill without gagging.

After finishing her food, she spends the next couple of hours cleaning and doing chores. Hoping doing these mundane tasks will help cool her ire, she does the laundry, the dishes, sweeps, vacuums and dusts. She even scrapes the wax from the candles off of the furniture in her room. But when it's over, all she is is dirty, sweaty and still miffed.

With yet another sigh, she spends a few minutes 'looking' for her coffee maker and coffee. With a growl, she realizes Abe wasn't joking about removing the coffee from the house. It's no where to be found

With determination, she changes, grabs a towel and then heads out the front door towards the lake. Tossing her towel onto a near by rock to warm in the sun, she kicks off her shoes and steps into the cool water. She wades in until she's in up to her knees and then she dives in. She swims around for a several minutes letting the cool water wash off the dirt and sweat.

After about fifteen minutes of swimming and no appearance put in by Abe, Maggie's anger starts to turn to worry. She begins to wonder if something has happened to him and if maybe she should call the bureau. But before she can head towards shore, something grabs her ankle and drags her under before she can scream.

As she is blinking her eyes to adjust them to the cold, fresh water, a smiling blue face pops up in front of her. Before she can get angry at him for scaring her like that, his lips find hers and all thoughts in her head beat a hasty retreat. Tongues wrestle as lake water fills their mouths.

When their lips finally part, they've resurfaced and Maggie takes a deep breath of air while spitting out the water. Meanwhile, Abe is exploring her neck and ear with his lips. Her hands travel over his arms and shoulders, finally reaching his neck and gills. All anger and worry are gone, replaced by need and want.

His smooth body rubs against hers causing delightful shivers to run down her spine. His lips move down past her collar bone causing her to throw back her head and moan. As his lips claim a hardened bud, an idle thought wanders through her brain wondering where her bikini top went.

After nearly driving her insane by playing with her nipples, Abe continues to head south with his lips exploring her body. Finally, he works his way past her hips and down to her thighs as he pulls off her bikini bottoms. After making sure that last article of clothing is safely out of reach, he gently pushes her legs apart.

Her arms frantically scull the water trying to keep her head above water as her spine seems to have been replaced with a wet noodle. She feels Abe's lips start to work their way back up her body and his hands coming up to help support her body. She gladly lets him as she gently traces his gills with her finger tips and nails.

A shudder runs through his body as he reclaims a sweet pink bud and gently sucks on it, circling it with his tongue causing a similar response with her. Her legs wrap around his torso and she thrusts her hips into him. Taking the hint, he releases the bud and continues his travels up her body as her body slides down his. Soon, his lips find hers again.

She whimpers her need into his mouth while he positions her over his erection. She shivers with anticipation as he simultaneously pushes her down and thrusts his hips up to bury himself deep inside of her.

She throws her head back with her eyes closed, moaning his name as her hips match his thrusts, clinging desperately to his shoulders. She rides on waves of pleasure, the water enhancing the sensations. He drives faster and harder into her, leaving her gasping for air between the cries, whimpers and moans that carry over the water. Soon she can feel herself edge near the precipice. She tightens her legs to try and push him further into her. Then, with a final convulsion, she crosses the line into oblivion, barely aware of Abe's memories while they flood her mind as he finds his own release in her.

Several minutes pass as they just hold each other and Abe treads water for both of them. Maggie allows Abe to start pulling her towards shore before she realizes she's missing something.

"Wait," she says feebly, eyes barely open. "My bathing suit…"

"I have it," he reassures her, holding up said item.

"May I have it please?" she asks, reaching for it.

"No," he answers, pulling it out of her reach.

"What do you mean 'No'?" she attempts to growl.

Suddenly, Abe releases her and dives into the depths of the lake. She treads water, trying to discern where her aquatic husband is.

_Come and get it, if you want it,_ his voice says in her head.

At first, she's tempted to try and chase him, knowing full well that she'll never catch him. However, she realizes how tired she's become and she's starting to shiver with cold now. Looking towards shore, she notices that she's maybe about fifty feet from her towel. Forcing her tired, and in some cases sore, muscles into moving, she heads for land.

A few minutes later finds her with her feet on solid ground, wrapping the sun warmed around her. Tucking the towel firmly in place, she puts her shoes back on and heads back up to the house. As she places her foot on the first step that leads up to the house, she hears something that nearly makes her jump out of her skin.

"Miss Cavendish?"

Looking up, Maggie sees Helen at the top of the stairs. Maggie tries to force her heart back down to a more normal rate before answering.

"Yes, Helen, what is it?" she asks as she starts back up the steps.

"Are you alright?" Helen questions.

"I'm fine, thank you," Maggie answers. "Why are you up here?"

"I heard some strange sounds coming from the direction of the house," she explains. "I thought I'd come and investigate. It sounded like someone was, um, screaming."

"That's odd, I didn't hear anything," Maggie lies, reaching the top of the stairs. "Maybe you heard a bird or something."

Helen moves to one side as Maggie walks past her, headed for the house.

"Miss Cavendish, where's your swim suit?" Helen questions.

"I'm not wearing one," Maggie answers.

"You went skinny dipping in the middle of the day?" Helen asks incredulously.

"Yes, so?" Maggie responds with a raised eyebrow.

"Most people do that at night," Helen points out.

"Most people don't own their own lake," Maggie replies as she climbs the steps to the porch.

"Good point," Helen concedes. "Magick's getting a little antsy again, by the way. We also got that new horse in and he looks like he's going to be a hand full. Do you think you could come down and look at him?"

"Sure, I'll come down tomorrow, probably around mid-morning," Maggie answers.

"That would be great, thanks," says Helen. "Have a good evening, Miss Cavendish. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Helen," Maggie responds as she heads into the house.

Once inside, Maggie aims herself for the bathroom, blissfully dreaming of a hot bath. The time spent in the water has chilled her to the bone and she wants nothing more than to get warm and maybe take a nap. Kicking off her shoes, she starts filling the tub and then leaves, heading for the kitchen.

Once there, she sets the tea kettle to boil to make some tea. Opening the cabinet, she discovers all of the tea with caffeine has mysteriously disappeared. All that's left is two types of herbal teas: chamomile and peppermint. With a less then amused sigh, she pulls out the box of peppermint tea and sets to making herself a cup.

Returning to the bathroom with mug in hand, she opens the door and notices that the water in the tub has been turned off and the water drained out. She doesn't even bother to turn around.

"Why?" she growls.

"Because bathing in hot water can hurt the baby," Abe answers as he shuts the door.

"It hasn't even been twenty-four hours yet, Abe," she points out through clenched teeth. "How can I possibly be pregnant?"

"It's best not to take any chances," he replies.

She stands there shivering, as he opens the shower door and starts the water in there. She's not sure if the shaking is caused by being cold or angry at this point, but her tea is in danger of being all over the floor at any second. Abe comes over and carefully pulls the cup away from her. He pulls her towel off and then takes her hand, gently pulling her towards the shower. She refuses to budge and just glares at him.

"Please, come get warm," he urges as he steps up to her.

She continues to scowl up at him. Knowing that he's not going to get anywhere with her angry he goes for the quickest way to make her happy or at least less stubborn. Leaning down, he delicately touches his lips to hers. At first, she doesn't respond, but after a few seconds, she relents and returns his affections. He deepens the kiss as he wraps his arms around her.

While still kissing her, he steps back, pulling her with him. Soon they're at the shower door. He snakes an arm around, opens the door, reaches in adjusts the water, never leaving her lips. Finally, he breaks the kiss and tries to push her into the waiting stream of warm water. He looks down and sees that she's wrapped her own arms around his waist in a death grip. He turns his attention to her face and notices that her eyes are dark with passion.

He was so focused on getting her into the shower that he hadn't noticed what effect his kiss was having on her. He gives himself a swift mental kick in the rear and starts trying to pull away from her.

"I can't," he tries to explain.

The passion is quickly replaced anger and hurt in those hazel eyes. She pushes him away and storms out of the room. He quickly turns off the water and follows her. By the time he gets to the master bedroom door, it's shut. He tries the knob and it won't budge. He knows that there's no lock on this door, so it can only mean that she's intentionally holding the door shut with her powers. Sighing, he leans his head on the door and knocks.

"Maggie, please let me in," he calls. "I'm sorry."

Getting no response, he places a hand on the door and extends his own powers to see if she's alright. She's extremely upset and she has no intention of releasing the door any time soon. On the plus side, she's at least given up on the idea of taking a hot bath.

With another sigh, he heads into the other bathroom down the hall. Drawing himself a bath of cool water, he crawls into the large tub and turns on the Jacuzzi jets. Lying on his back, he stares at the ceiling through the bubbles wondering how to make Maggie see reason.

Maggie had heard Abe knocking on the door and then talking through it, but she just ignored it. She's furious that he seems to be finding some of the most pleasurable things in her life and systematically taking them away from her. And if that wasn't bad enough, he then gets her aroused and then tells her he can't. She curls up into a fetal position, wrapped up in a down comforter and cries herself to sleep.


	4. That Evening

Maggie wakes to the feeling of kisses being placed on her cheek, ear, neck and shoulder and a cool moist body pressed against her back. She yawns and stretches a bit while a blue arm encircles her waist and pulls her closer. She snuggles back, leaning into the ministrations. Something in the back of her mind tells her she should be mad, but it feels so good to be held and touched.

She squirms around to face him as Abe's lips claim hers in a passionate kiss, pushing her onto her back. She feels the blood rushing to all the right places and her nerves seem to be tingling. Her hands start to wander over his strangely textured skin, reveling in the feel of him. She feels something hard pressing into her thigh and one of her hands travels towards it.

She finds it and runs her hand down the length of the hardened member. As she reaches the base and gently strokes the sack underneath, Abe throws his head back, flaring his gills and letting out something close to a howl. Maggie takes advantage of the newly exposed neck and starts to kiss down the newly revealed flesh, pushing him onto his back.

She kisses, licks and nips her way down his neck, past his collar bone, onto his chest. She explores his powerful chest, enjoying the way the skin darkens every time her mouth comes in contact with it. Slowly, ever so slowly, in the most delightfully torturous fashion, she makes her way down across his stomach until she reaches his incredible hard penis.

He lies there gasping for air like a fish out of water with uncontrolled groans escaping past his lips. All conscious thought stopped the instant her hand came in contact with his manhood. Her mouth is driving him crazy as it slowly makes its way down his body. At this point he's not sure he has a name. He's not even sure he ever had one.

She runs a hand up the inside of his thigh as she kisses around the hardened member. Carefully avoiding the twitching item, her lips play across his hip. Finally, her mouth finds the skin next to the base of his penis.

He lets out something between a whimper and a moan at her touch. He has both sets of eyelids closed to block out any distractions other than the feel of her touching him. His body is trembling with anticipation. Her hands and lips are killing him softly by putting him into sensory overload.

She looks up at his face. His head is thrown back, his back is slightly arched and his hands are gripping the down comforter that she had been wrapped in when she fell asleep. She glances at the clock and sees that it's just after 6:00.

"Geez, look at the time," she gasps. "I need to get dinner on the table."

With that, she swiftly rolls off of the bed, grabs the clothes that were discarded from earlier and heads out the door, closing and 'locking' it behind her. She swiftly dresses in the hallway and then trots downstairs, heading straight for the kitchen.

Abe lies there staring at the ceiling and trying to figure out what just happened. He hears her descending the stairs and realization finally dawns on him. With a growl and a sigh he tries to bring his body under control. He has little success and finally he resorts to a very cold shower.

After he finally emerges with all appendages back down to their normal size, he dries off and goes in search of his gear. He finds his clothes from the wedding and respirator in the walk in closet. He dons them and heads for the door.

He gingerly puts a hand on the door knob and it easily turns in his hand. He heads downstairs and into the kitchen. Finally, he finds Maggie bustling around the room getting dinner onto the table. He stands in the doorway watching her.

"Oh, good, you're up," she says when she spots him. "Dinner is almost ready."

"That wasn't very nice," he states in a less than amused tone.

"Making dinner isn't very nice?" she questions in mock confusion as she puts the salad bowl onto the table.

"You know what I mean," he says in a near growl.

"Oh, you mean leading your wife on until she thinks she's going to explode and then leaving her in the lurch isn't very nice?" she asks with a mocking tone, her eyes wide and her eyebrows raised toward the hairline. Her eyes narrow and her voice becomes a dangerous growl. "You're right, it's not."

With that, she turns on her heel and stalks towards the stove. He watches as she gently stirs something in a steaming pot. Abe knows that the gentle stirring belies the anger and hurt just below the surface, he doesn't need his telepathy to tell him that. Her free hand is clenched in a fist and shaking.

He stands and watches her as she drains the pot into a colander. After shaking out the excess water, she puts what appears to be some sort of pasta into a bowl and then pours some type of green sauce over it. She stirs the pasta to try and evenly disperse the sauce.

"What are we having?" he asks in a more subdued voice.

"Linguini with a pesto sauce, bread and salad," she answers flatly, not bothering to look at him.

"Sounds wonderful," he states, taking a step into the kitchen.

She doesn't answer as she continues to toss the pasta rather roughly. He quietly walks up towards her and nearly gets hit in the stomach with a bowl of linguini as she turns around. She's startled for a moment but quickly recovers.

"Would you please put this on the table?" she asks as she pushes the bowl towards him.

"Yes, of course," he replies as he takes the bowl from her and does as she asks.

When he's done, he comes back and finds her cutting slices of bread from a large loaf. He comes up behind her and places his hands on hers, stopping the sawing motion.

"I'm very, truly and deeply sorry for what I did to you earlier. I never meant to hurt you," he says as he lays his forehead down on her shoulder. "Can you forgive me?"

He can feel her relax with a sigh and he takes a step back, releasing her hands. Laying the knife down while letting go of the bread she then turns to face him. She encircles his waist with his arms and buries her face in the material of his shirt. He wraps his arms around her shoulders and gratefully returns the hug. He lets his mind go blank as he rests his cheek on top of her head. They stand there for a few minutes until another one of her sighs interrupts his spacing out.

"I'll forgive you on two conditions," her voice wafts up from the level of his chest.

"What would those conditions be?" he asks.

"One, you never do that again," she states as she looks up at him with sad eyes, "and two, forgive me for what I did earlier. What I did was totally uncalled for."

"Agreed," he answers.

Their lips meet. A gentle kiss giving and receiving love and reassurance soon turns into something deeper that starts to build a growing hunger. At least it does until someone's stomach growls. Neither one is sure whose stomach it was as they stand there and laugh.

"We should eat dinner," Maggie finally says. "It's getting cold."

"What would you like me to do?" Abe asks.

"Could you get drinks for us while I finish slicing the bread?" she requests as she turns back towards the counter and goes back to her previous task.

"Yes, I can," he replies. "What would you like to drink?"

"A glass of wine would be nice," she responds. "I believe there's an open bottle of white zin in the fridge."

"Umm," Abe stalls.

"'Umm'?" she nearly snarls.

"Alcohol isn't good for the baby," he states.

He can all but hear the muscles in her back tightening. Slamming the knife back down onto the counter, she spins around and faces him; her eyes burning with anger. Moving faster than a striking snake, she grabs his wrist. Lifting her shirt to reveal the smooth skin of her belly, she slaps the flat of his hand onto the exposed flesh.

"Am I pregnant?" she asks through clenched teeth.

Not even bothering to take a moment to enjoy the feeling of the soft skin under his hand, he quickly spreads his fingers and examines her. Within a few moments he has the answer. With a sigh, he can only shake his head in response to her question. Forcefully pushing his hand away, she turns and heads for the fridge.

"It's not in there," he states without looking at her. "I removed all of the alcohol when I took away the coffee."

Without even skipping a beat she turns and heads out the door of the kitchen.

"What about dinner?" he asks her retreating back.

"You go ahead and eat," she calls back without stopping. "I'm not hungry."

"Where are you going?" he inquires when he sees her pass by the staircase.

"I'm going for a walk," she snaps. Suddenly she spins back around and glares at him. "Or am I not allowed to do that either? After all I wouldn't want to hurt our nonexistent baby."

"Walking is a good form of exercise," he responds meekly.

She turns back around and continues her charge out of the house. He contemplates telling her that skipping meals isn't a good for the baby, but decides keeping his head attached to his neck is a far better idea. He watches as she opens the front door and then slams it shut behind her. Figuring she can't get far without shoes on, he gives a resigned shrug and sits down to eat his dinner.

Maggie quickly trots down the front steps and charges across the driving loop and the open area in front of the house. Since she spends most of her time barefoot as soon as the weather allows, her feet are sufficiently hardened against small rocks and pebbles. As she walks past the Northern Red Oak that lives in the open area the dryad sticks her head out of her tree.

_What troubles you, Keeper?_ she asks.

"My husband," Maggie snarls. "He seems to think that now that we're married he has the right to run my life."

_What is a 'husband'?_ the dryad questions as she further emerges from the tree.

"Sorry, my mate," Maggie amends as she turns to face the tree spirit. "Like hawks. If humans do it right, they stay mated for life."

_And your mate displeases you?_ she queries.

"Not him himself, his actions," Maggie explains. "He keeps telling me what I can and can't do."

_So why do you let him?_ she asks.

"I'm not letting him," Maggie replies with a sigh. "He's doing things when I'm not around that displeases me. It might not be so bad if he'd talk to me about it first, but he just does it and then springs it on me. This isn't how it's supposed to be. It's supposed to be a partnership."

_Then tell him, _she states.

"It's not that easy," Maggie responds. "Most of the time I'm near him I just want to be in his arms. When I'm there, nothing else seems to matter. Nothing else exists but the two of us. I though he learned his lesson the last time he tried ordering me around. What happened to the man I fell in love with?"

'_Most of the time?'_ she inquires.

"The rest of the time I want to ring his neck for being a self righteous jerk," Maggie mutters angrily.

The dryad has no response to that, so she returns to her tree. Turning back around, Maggie starts to walk again. She follows one of her favorite paths that circles the lake. She lets her legs carry her farther from the house, not really paying attention to where she's going. She's completely lost in thought until she suddenly realizes that she's in her old favorite thinking spot.

It's located at the highest spot on the property over looking the lake. If she looks carefully, she can barely make out the house almost completely hidden by trees on the other side of the lake. With a sigh, she sits in her favorite spot between the roots of a white pine tree. She looks out over the lake and watches as the shadows lengthen across the water.

A movement caught in her peripheral vision makes her turn her head quickly, her body tensing. A mountain lion quietly watches her from the underbrush he's just come through. It's been a long time, but she knows this cat. She's known him since he was a cub. She sends out a small tendril of energy as a way to greet him.

She waits to see if he remembers her. He hesitantly pads towards her. He carefully touches noses with her and sniffs as she exhales. His ears prick forward and a deep rumbling purr comes from his chest as he recognizes her. He bumps his forehead into hers and then runs his face down the side of her face.

Closing her eyes, she enjoys the soft warm fur brushing against her skin. She feels a sudden weight in her lap. Opening her eyes and looking down she sees that the lion has lain down beside her and is using her lap as a pillow. Purring, he closes his eyes and falls asleep.

She smiles as she relaxes against the tree and starts stroking the luxurious pelt. She continues to watch as the sun sets and the just past full moon that was already over the horizon casts its light onto the lake.

Being here with an old friend takes her back to before that fateful morning when an earthquake rudely awoke her just over a year ago. She remembers how organized her life had been. There were no surprises; almost every day was the same.

"Do you miss it?" Abe asks quietly.

She starts slightly. She hadn't been expecting him to come find her and the mountain lion doesn't seem to pleased with this either. He lifts his head and lets out a low growl. She quickly increases her stroking of his fur and sends a tendril of calming energy towards the large cat. With a snort, he lays his head back down, but he doesn't fall asleep again and he never takes his eyes off of Abe.

"I miss the simplicity of it," she finally answers without looking at her husband. "But I don't regret the changes that have been made. Mostly. All in all, it was a pretty boring life."

Abe cautiously approaches her, keeping a wary eye on the lion. Even when he comes to stand next to her, she still doesn't look at him. He crouches down beside her, yet she still looks out over the moon lit scene in front of her.

"Why won't you look at me?" he questions.

"Because I'm still upset with you," she replies.

"Maggie, please understand that what I've done, I've done with our child in mind," he starts.

"A child that I'm not carrying, need I remind you," she states with a growl.

"I know you're not pregnant yet, but that doesn't mean you won't be soon," he counters as he sits down beside her and leaning against the tree.

"Abe, it wouldn't have been so bad if you had just talked to me about it," she says, the pain and hurt evident in the tone of her voice.

"Your right," he concedes. "I should have talked to you first. I didn't think it was such a big deal."

She holds up her arm that's not stroking the cat straight in front of her. The shaking is very evident even in the low light.

"Ever been in caffeine withdrawal before?" she asks.

"No, I can't say that I have," he answers.

"It's not fun," she replies as she lets the arm drop. "It would have been nice to have some warning that I was going to have to go through this. But what makes it even worse is that I've gone through it alone. You were so busy making sure that I didn't harm a possible baby that you never stopped to think how your actions would affect me. I came in second to a fantasy baby."

With that said, silent tears start to fall down her cheeks and her breath becomes ragged. Abe hangs his head in shame and ends up staring eye to eye with the cat. Another low growl escapes the throat of the large animal. Maggie taps the lion on the middle of his forehead with one of her fingers.

"Hey, no growling at the husband," she tells him. "That's my job."

Abe smiles a small smile and looks up at her face. He suddenly realizes she's not joking and the smile quickly fades. With yet another snort, the mountain lion gets up and walks back the way it came, disappearing back through the underbrush.

"I'm sorry," he whispers.

"You said that earlier and you followed it not five minutes later with yet another one of your little surprises," she bitterly reminds him. "How can I trust you if you keep springing these changes on me?"

"But I did it…," he starts, stopping when he sees the look on her face. "You're right. You have no reason to trust me now. In my defense all I can say is that I was trying to do what was right. I guess I blew it, huh?"

"You could say that," she responds.

"From now on I will discuss with you any changes that I want to make," he states. "This I prom…"

He's stopped mid word by a fast moving hand over his mouth. He's briefly startled by the pain caused by his lips being crushed into his teeth. After blinking the nictitating membranes over his eyes a few times, he looks at her and sees her staring at him with a look that is a mixture of anger and fear.

"Don't ever promise me anything," she hisses. "Breaking a promise to a Mage is worse then condemning yourself to a death sentence."

"We promised to love one another for the rest of our lives at our wedding last night," he reminds her after pulling her hand away from his face.

"I know but that was a pretty safe promise," she says. "Whether or not we made those promises, we will love each other for the rest of our lives. Mages never divorce and they never remarry if one of the partners dies. But loving someone and respecting them are two different things. And quite frankly, you haven't shone me one ounce of respect since I got up this morning."

She sits back against the tree, pulls her knees to her chest and looks back over the lake. With a sigh, she wraps her arms around her legs and rests her chin on her knees. Exhaustion finally starts to take its toll on her, so she puts her forehead down where her chin had been a moment before.

She feels Abe start to slip one arm behind her and the other arm under her legs. Her head snaps up and she glares at him. He pulls back and returns to his spot next to her.

"What do I have to do to get you to forgive me?" he asks.

"Let me be in charge every once and a while," she states after about a minute of silence. "This marriage is supposed to be a partnership."

"I can do that," he replies. "So, what do you want to do?"

She looks at him for a few moments and then moves from her spot. She crawls towards him, forcing him back against the tree. Once she has him pinned there, she reaches up and starts to remove his respirator.

After the pieces are removed, she hikes up her skirt, straddles his lap and starts to unbutton his shirt. Once the shirt is completely open, she starts running her hands over his chest and stomach. Very carefully, she runs a nail along the base of his front gill. She can feel him growing against her through the thin material of his pants.

"Maggie," he gasps.

"Shhh," she shushes, placing a finger against his lips. "Let me be in charge."

He gulps, nods and blinks his nictitating membranes several times while she starts to kiss his neck. In short order, her lips find his gills and her tongue traces the same path as her nail did earlier. He moans as he arches his back into her. His hardness presses into her groin and she rocks her hips into him in response.

Her lips finally leave his neck and trace a hot, wet line across his jaw bone until she finds his lips. Her hands, which had been resting on his chest, start tracing patterns across his shoulders and down his arms until they reach his hands. She takes his hands into her own and places the shaking appendages on her hips.

"Touch me," she half pleads half orders into his mouth.

He more than gladly complies as his hands slide up her top and quickly finds her breasts. He cups them in his hands and runs a thumb over each nipple making the flesh harden. She throws back her head and arches her back, gasping his name.

He lifts her shirt until the breasts are exposed to the night air and then claims one of the tight pink buds with his mouth. He teases the sensitive flesh with his tongue and teeth. She gives out a cry of pleasure as her hands grab the side of his head and gently pushes him back.

She starts kissing him again as she leans her bare chest against his. He wraps his arms around her and holds her to him. After several minutes of tongue wrestling, she carefully pushes herself back. She looks him in the eye as her hands slowly trace first his chest muscles and then his stomach muscles. He trembles at her touch while his hands rub up and down her thighs and small moans escape his lips.

When her fingers touch the waist band of his pants her nails run across the top of the garment, lightly touching the skin. He tries to jerk out of her reach, but is stopped by the tree behind him. She raises an eyebrow at him.

"Tickles," he gasps as he grabs her hands.

An evil smile crosses her face and he looks as worried as he can get. She reclaims his lips with her own and gently pulls her hands free. Reaching between them, she finds the button to his pants and undoes them. Sliding a hand down the front of his pants, she creates a barrier between his rock hard manhood and the zipper she's slowly sliding open.

Something between a whimper and a groan resonates from his chest as wraps her hand around him and gently pulls him free of the pants. Her lips leave his as she pushes herself down his legs and sits on his shins. She looks him in the eye, his gills are working furiously to deal with what his body is going through and he has to keep passing his nictitating membranes over his widened eyes.

"Are you going to spring any more unpleasant surprises on me?" she asks.

He shakes his head 'no' and she crawls farther up his legs until she's sitting just above his knees.

"Are you going to talk to me when you think there needs to be a change?" she inquires.

He nods his head 'yes' and she scoots the rest of the way up his legs. Sitting up so she's kneeling in front of him, her chest is at eye level to him. Quickly snaking a tongue out, he licks one of her nipples causing her to gasp.

She gathers up her skirt in one and then positions herself over his erection, using her free hand to guide him to the right place. She lowers herself down until the tip is pushing against her hot, wet core.

"Do you trust me?" she whispers.

"Yes," he hisses in response.

With that she lowers herself the rest of the way down until he's fully sheathed inside of her. Letting out a moan of her own, she starts to move up and down amazed at how deep he can penetrate with her on top.

She grabs onto his shoulders for balance while his hands grab her backside to help give her support. He lets her set the pace as his body shivers with anticipation and moans resonate through his chest. He tries desperately to hold back his release so that she can find hers as well.

She delights in the feeling of him inside of her, his coolness inside of her hotness. Moving up and down, in and out, her mind is completely gone. All that is left is the need to keep moving, keep feeling.

It becomes even harder for him to hold back as she picks up the pace and her cries reach a fevered pitch. A few moments later he feels her walls spasm around him as she hits her orgasm and that's all he needs to follow her a second later. He's barely even aware of her memories flooding his mind, though he does notice one thing.

She collapses against him, panting and shaking with exhaustion. A strong wind cools the sweat on her body, causing her to shiver as well. As she slowly comes down from her orgasmic high, she finally realizes that she's the one that's causing the wind to blow and with barely a thought, she stops it.

Abe pulls her shirt back down to its original position before wrapping his arms around her and holding her shuddering body to him. After a few minutes, he realizes her skin is covered in goose flesh from the cold. Sitting forward a bit, he removes his shirt and then places it around her shoulder. She gladly slips her arms through the sleeves.

"Thank you," she whispers as she leans into him.

"We should get back to the house," he states.

"That would require moving," she informs him while snuggling into his chest.

"Yes, it would," he agrees, a smile starts to creep across his face.

"Nope, sorry, can't do it," comes the slightly muffled voice.

With a chuckle, he grabs her and flips her off of his lap and sets her down next to him. She lets out an indignant screech and gives Abe a mock glare while she pulls her knees to her chest for warmth. Still chuckling, he zips his pants back up, finds the parts to his respirator and puts them on.

After standing up, he extends his hand to his wife to help her stand. With some minor grumbling, she takes the offered appendage and lets him pull her to her feet. She lets out a sudden whimper of pain which causes Abe to wrap his arms around her instinctively.

"What's wrong?" he asks worriedly.

"My knees," she hisses. "I think I was a little rough on them."

He carefully releases her and kneels down in front of her. Pulling the billowing material of her skirt out of his way, he looks at her lower legs. He sees dirt and small twigs stuck to the front of her legs from her knees down to her toes. He gently brushes off the detritus and then straightens up, facing her.

"I can clean them up when we get back to the house," he offers.

She simply nods her agreement and suddenly finds herself scooped up into his arms. She's too exhausted to argue and just wiggles into his arms, getting more comfortable. He smiles as he gently kisses her head and then starts back down the path.

"No underwear, huh?" he asks as he starts down the path.

"Forgot to get them when I left the bedroom earlier," she answers sleepily. "I was in a bit of a hurry."

About an hour later finds him taking the front steps with a sleeping Maggie in his arms and his muscles starting to scream in protest. After several failed attempts, he finally manages to open the front door without dropping her. He carefully carries her upstairs and puts her on the bed.

He gets the necessary first aid items from the bathroom and then tends to her knees. After cleaning off the ground in dirt, he finds that the flesh is just primarily bruised with some minor scratches mostly at the bottom of her knees. He quickly dresses the wounds and then returns the equipment to its proper place and then starts the water in the tub.

Returning to the bedroom, he carefully wraps his sleeping wife in the down comforter. Kissing her on the forehead, he leaves a subconscious suggestion in her mind. Then he makes his way back to the tub and after stripping, crawls into the water. His last conscious thought before he drifts off to sleep is that he is going to make tomorrow better than today.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Like it? Love it? Please review it.  



	5. Another Day, part 1

Maggie wakes to the sound of birds singing outside her window. She yawns and stretches as she rolls over and runs straight into something large. Letting out a surprised yelp, her eyes fly open and she finds herself face to face with a grinning Abe who's lying on his side. She doesn't bother questioning why he's there; she just snuggles into his open arms and enjoys the feeling of her lover wrapped around her, his chin resting on top of her head. With a sigh of happiness, she closes her eyes and relaxes into his embrace.

After several minutes of quiet cuddling, one of her hands seems to develop a mind of its own and starts to wander over her husband's bare form. She enjoys the texture of his unique skin, the well sculpted muscles below that skin, but she especially enjoys the feeling of the hardened appendage currently pressing into her hip. She carefully runs her fingertips up and down the erection which causes him to slightly shiver. She hides her smile against his chest, but he's not fooled.

"Keep that up, woman, and I'll have to throw you on your back and ravage you," he playfully growls in her ear.

"Swear?" she giggles as her fingers wrap around his rock hard penis and her thumb rubs over the tip.

Suddenly she finds herself on her back and her lips are under attacked, her hands pinned above her head. Her mouth and tongue rally and return the assault valiantly. Their tongues wage a war of dominance as she twists her hips and one of her legs attempts to wrap around his, trying to pull him closer. He's having none of that and his upper leg swings out of the way and captures both of hers, immobilizing them.

Abe uses one hand to hold her wrists prisoner as the other quickly finds its way under her shirt and starts to caress and tease her breasts and nipples. She moans into his mouth as her back arches into the delightful torture. Pulling her shirt up, his mouth leaves hers and finds one of the hardened buds and he proceeds to torment her further. She whimpers as her back arches even farther up.

"Abe, please," she begs.

The leg holding her down moves between her legs and she gladly opens up to him as she continues to pant and moan. The wandering hand starts to pull up her skirt while gently dragging his nails across the flesh of her thigh, causing goose pimples. She adds groaning to her repertoire of sounds as she opens her legs even further and curls her hips forward, inviting him in.

He gladly accepts the invitation and slides into her. She gasps with surprise as he immediately starts to move in and out. He goes so slowly she thinks she's going to lose her mind from the need and want. She bucks her hips in hopes of forcing him to go faster.

He chuckles evilly into her ear as his free hand goes back to tormenting her breast and he keeps to the slow pace. She starts to whine, pleading for him to go faster. All of a sudden, she finds her hands free and he starts to pound into her. She brings her legs up to allow him to go deeper as her hands grab his hips. She can feel her climax coming and she squeezes the muscles surrounding him. She cries her release as he slams into her and then stills.

She lies there panting, slowly coming back down to Earth when he starts moving again. She stares at him in surprise and sees an evil grin on his face.

"I'm not going to be able to walk with my feet together ever again, am I?" she manages to gasp out between thrusts.

"Not if I can help it," he pants back as he gently pinches her nipple and kisses her.

With something between a whimper and moan, she closes her eyes and starts to match his rhythm. Her body quickly responds and soon she's heading for the lofty heights of coital bliss. He continues to drive into her, making her gasp with his ferocity. He plunges in and out of her pushing her back towards the edge.

She knows she's going to lose it soon, and she refuses to go alone. Releasing his hips, she brings her hands up to his neck and carefully strokes his gills with her nails. With a roar that would make Hellboy proud, he arches his back pushing himself up with his arms and slams his hips forward as he finds his release. At the same moment Maggie screams her achievement as she arches her back as far as she can into the mattress.

Abe collapses on top of Maggie, gasping for breath and shaking. Maggie isn't doing much better underneath him. After a few minutes of recovery, she finally notices that he's still not doing so well. She runs a hand over his skin and realizes that he's dried himself out again.

With a snort of exasperation, she squirms out from under him. She drags him out of the bed, places an arm over her shoulder, then half carries, half drags him across the room and into the bathroom. She finally manages to get him into the tub and then starts the water.

She goes off and picks up the discarded clothing for the past couple of days, dropping it down the laundry shoot. Stripping she does the same with the clothes she's wearing. Then she heads for the room Abe changed in for the wedding and finds his dry land gear. She returns to the bathroom, places the gear next to the respirator on the sink counter and checks in on Abe.

The bath is about half filled and he's turned himself around so that his head is under the stream of water. Sitting on the edge of the tub, she starts to scoop water with her hands and then pour it over his still exposed skin. She watches as his skin goes from the dull dried look to shiny wet.

_Thank you, _she hears in her mind a few minutes later.

"You're welcome," she replies as she continues to massage the water into him. "Is there anything else you need?"

_No, thank you,_ he answers as the water almost completely covers him. _You can stop now._

"I know," she responds. "I like doing this."

She continues to massage him even after the water covers him, but this time it's his muscles that get the attention. Instead of a voice, Maggie catches waves of happiness and contentment from her ministrations. If she didn't know better, she could swear that he's purring.

As the water nears the overflow holes, she reluctantly pulls her hands back out of the water. Shaking the water from her hands, she turns off the tap, presses the button to turn on the jets and then heads for the shower. She allows the heat of the cascading water to penetrate her sore muscles; in fact her legs are still hurting.

_So much for movement to ease the aches,_ she thinks to herself as she works the shampoo into her hair.

_I guess we'll just have to keep working on that,_ Abe tells her.

"Hey, no ease dropping," she admonishes.

_I'm not, _he chuckles._ You're just thinking loud._

"Brat," she mutters.

She starts to wash herself and thinks of nothing but the feeling of the hot water on her naked body. She revels in the way it feels to lather up her body, the feeling of her slick, smooth, wet skin.

_Now who's being a brat? _He growls.

She just chuckles as she turns off the tap and steps out of the shower. She grabs one towel to wrap her hair in and another to dry herself off with. The softness of the material is luxurious against her warmed body as it absorbs all the water on her nude form.

_You're going to pay for that, _he threatens.

With an evil smirk, she quickly finishes drying off and heads for the closet to get dressed. A short time later she returns wearing riding breeches and a polo shirt. Abe's head emerges from the water and he scrutinizes her outfit for a minute. She looks at him with a raised eyebrow and sitting up further, he crooks a finger at her indicating he wants her to come closer. Pulling the towel that was confining her hair off her head; she steps over to the bathtub as she rubs the excess water out of her tresses.

Abe dries his hand off on the towel she's holding and then spreading his fingers wide; he places his hand on her abdomen. A moment later, he gives a defeated sigh and slips back under the water. Maggie turns and goes back to getting ready.

A few minutes later, she leaves the bathroom with her hair back in its usual braid, new bandages on her knees and the wet towels in her arms. She heads for the basement and stuffs the towels into the washing machine with other dirty laundry. After getting the machine started, she heads back upstairs in search of breakfast.

Even after eating a bowl of cereal and drinking a large glass of orange juice, she's still hungry. A bagel, a banana and an apple later, she's feeling a bit more sated. She grabs a couple of carrots out of the fridge, leaving them on the table next to the door, she then heads back upstairs to get her shoes.

When she steps into the bedroom she's greeted by Abe who's now dressed in his usual black shorts. He looks at her quizzically with his head tilted to the side. He reaches for her stomach again and with a sigh, she lets him.

"I sincerely doubt that I've become pregnant in the last half hour," she states while a webbed hand covers the lower part of her abdomen.

"You ate more than usual for breakfast," he replies in confusion as he pulls his hand back.

"I hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday," she reminds him as she disappears into the closet. "And I only had one meal yesterday as well.

"Ah," he responds. "Please don't skip any more meals. It's not healthy."

"Not to mention I tend to eat like a pig the next time I do see food," she adds as she comes back out with shoes in hand. "Don't worry, love, I do try to eat regular meals normally. But you'll have to forgive the occasional lapse. It seems my world has been turned upside down lately."

She ends that last part with a smile. He smiles back and then bends over to kiss her. The gentleness surprises her since the last several times their lips have met have been filled with passion. She doesn't complain though, it feels so very good.

"I'll see what I can do to help," he whispers when their lips finally part.

"Thank you," she replies quietly as she drops her shoes and hugs him.

"You should get going," he says several minutes later. "Helen is waiting for you. And I don't think you want to give her the real reason that you took so long."

With a sigh of regret, she releases him, retrieves her shoes and heads down the stairs. She finally puts her shoes on, grabs the carrots and goes out the front door with him right behind her. A quick kiss and a hug at the bottom of the front steps and then they go their separate ways. She aims herself towards the ranch and he starts towards the lake.

"I should be back up about lunch time," she calls back over her shoulder.

_Sounds good,_ he replies. _I'll be waiting._

Some time later, after checking in with Helen and stopping by Magick's pen to feed him one of the carrots, Maggie finds herself nearing the quarantine corral. In order to make sure none of the new horses came in carrying a disease that could be passed to the other animals, she had a corral built further away from the barn and places the other horses would normally be. She holds the remaining treat in her hand as she approaches the metal railings.

She walks up to the corral and the horse spots her. Most horses either ignore new people or try to escape out through the other side of the corral. Occasionally they'll get one that comes up and greets them. Without warning, this one comes charging up to the fence and slams his body against the high bars. His eyes are so wide that she can see the whites.

Maggie sends out a tendril of calming energy in hopes of stopping him from hurting himself. It has no effect. In fact, it's like her power is being blocked. He lets out a squeal of fury and launches himself at the fence again.

"He's been like that since we got him," says Helen as she comes up behind Maggie.

"What's the story on this guy?" Maggie asks, never taking her eyes off of him.

"He was owned by a drug lord," Helen starts. "From what I understand, when the cops raided the guy's house they found this boy in a small pen that was several inches deep in mud. They said he was pretty mellow and they had no trouble with him. However, by the time he got to us, he was acting like you see now. I don't understand it."

"Have you called Dr. Tambor?" Maggie inquires.

"I called him the moment we managed to get this guy into the corral," she answers. "He should be here soon."

Not two seconds later the sound of a car engine can be heard coming through the gate. The women look and instantly recognize the car.

"Talk about timing," Helen chuckles.

A minute later, an older gentleman with a full head of silver hair and a slight paunch walks up to them carrying a black medical bag.

"Good morning, ladies," he greets. "How are you this fine morning?"

"Fine, thanks," Helen replies.

"I'm doing well, thank you, doctor," Maggie answers. "And how are you?"

"Couldn't be better," he responds. "So what have you got for me this time?"

Before anyone can answer, the horse makes another assault against the fence. The fence shakes, but it remains standing.

"Well, that's unusual," Dr. Tambor states. "How long has he been behaving like this?"

"Since he got here," Helen answers.

"Since it's obviously not safe for anyone to go in there, is there any way for you to tranquilize him from here?" Maggie asks.

"I do have a tranquilizer gun in the car," he answers as he watches the horse take another run at them. "I think your right; he's going to have to be sedated first."

With that, the vet turns and heads back to his car. A few minutes later, he returns with what looks to be a hand gun. The women can see the fletching from the dart sticking out of the barrel just before he closes it.

Taking careful aim, he waits until the angry stallion heads back towards the other side of the corral. Once the target is presented, the trigger is squeezed; the dart flies true and buries itself into the hindquarters of the now fully enraged animal.

With a squeal of pain, the horse charges the fence and slams into it again. They watch in silence, waiting for the sedative to take effect.

"So how are you ladies enjoying the earthquakes?" Tambor asks, trying to fill the time.

"They're driving me nuts," Helen answers before Maggie can open her mouth and ask 'what earthquakes?' "If I wanted to deal with earthquakes, I'd move to California. As it is, it's getting damn near impossible to get Jamy to go to bed these days. Allison is doing ok, but she's been more skittish then normal."

"I know what you mean," Tambor replies. "I was talking to my daughter last night around 10 o'clock when that one hit. Her kids are seven and five and they woke up screaming. I could hear them over the line. It's been very strange."

"And of course the scientists are all baffled about why they're happening," Helen gripes. "A fat lot of good they're doing trying to find where the epicenter is. They should be trying to figure out how to stop them or at least warn us. But the really bizarre thing is those weird winds storms that pop up at the same time. The one yesterday afternoon had me jumpy for the rest of the day. I was so sure that there was going to be another earthquake. I tell you, sleep has become a luxury in my house."

"I think Mother Nature likes to remind humans just who is really in charge," Maggie finally interrupts, chilled to the core that there have been earthquakes that she has somehow managed to fail noticing. "It looks like the sedative is finally taking effect."

Sure enough, the stallion is standing in the middle of the pen, swaying slightly. His eyelids are half closed over glassy eyes.

"I gave him enough to calm him down, but not put him out," Tambor informs them. "We need to work quickly."

After stuffing the extra carrot in the waistband of her breeches, Maggie goes in first, sending calming energy and talking soothingly to him. After she gets hold of the halter, she continues with the energy and talking and starts to stroke his neck and shoulder. Tambor enters making no sudden moves and then performs a quick physical.

"Well, his heart rate is a bit accelerated which is strange considering it should be a bit more repressed with the sedative I gave him and he is a bit underweight," he states quietly. "But other than that, he seems to be good health."

"Would you mind taking blood and urine samples?" Maggie asks after a thought suddenly occurs to her.

"Sure," he answers. "But why?"

"He was taken from a drug dealer," she tells him. "What if he decided to use this horse to check that his shipments were good?"

Tambor noticeable pales when she makes her suggestion. Helen's eyes get very wide and she covers her open mouth.

"Which drugs do you want me to check for?" he asks.

"All of them that you can think of," she answers. "Helen, would you be kind enough to get him a copy of the case file for this horse? If I'm right, the DA should know about this."

Helen nods and the quickly heads off in the direction of the office. Tambor quickly draws blood after knocking some of the mud off the animal's neck and then pulls out a urine sample bottle. He stands there and stares at the horse for a moment.

"You do realize that if he doesn't urinate before the sedative wears off, we won't be able to get a sample, right?" he questions. "I don't feel comfortable giving him another dose, especially in light of what you've just told me."

"I understand," she states.

Sending more energy to the muscles around the horse's bladder, she tries to give them a good squeeze, but nothing seems to happen. Looking over at the watering trough, she notices that it's still filled to the top. At that moment, Helen returns with a file in her hand.

"Helen, when was the water trough last filled?" she queries.

"When he first got here," Helen answers as she hands the folder to the doctor. "He hasn't eaten either."

"That's really not good," Tambor states while he accepts the paper work. "If he hasn't had anything to eat or drink by tomorrow, call and let me know. We might have to take drastic measures to save his life."

"Of course, Dr. Tambor," Maggie responds.

"Is there anything else you need me to do?" he asks.

"No, thank you for your time," Maggie answers and then turns to Helen. "Helen, would you please get a curry comb? I want to get some of this mud off of this poor guy before the sedative wears off."

"Of course, Miss Cavendish," Helen replies.

While Tambor packs up, Helen leaves, heading for the horse barn. With a final wave goodbye, the vet leaves promising to let them know the results as soon as he gets them. After returning with the requested items, Helen hands one over, and both women start to work the dried on mud off of the horse. Within a few minutes they're finally able to see the horse's true color.

"A buckskin," Maggie states. "We've never had one of those before."

"If we can save him, Allison will be so thrilled," Helen replies. "'Spirit' is her favorite movie right now."

Maggie gives Helen a quizzical look.

"It's a kid's movie," Helen explains. "A cartoon, to be specific."

"I think I'm a little old to be watching cartoons," Maggie chuckles.

"Just wait until you're a mother," Helen jokingly warns. "Once they're old enough to recognize characters, you'll be paying the kiddie movie tax just like the rest of us."

Maggie just concentrates on cleaning the mud and dead hair off of the horse instead of answering. Thoughts of Abe and his baby obsession keep racing through her head. The mere idea of watching kid movies is enough to start sending shivers of fear down her spine. Then the silent questions start.

Is she ready to be a mother? Would she be a good mother? What would the baby look like? Where would they raise him or her? Would Manning expect him/her to become an agent when he/she was old enough? What would she do if something happened to Abe? What would she do if something happened to their child? Can she even get pregnant?

The horse suddenly snorts and starts to try and pull away from Maggie who's still holding onto the halter. He then tries to kick Helen who's been working on the back half of the horse. Since he's still not completely over the sedative, he misses horribly, but the ladies stop their grooming efforts.

"Helen, please leave," Maggie orders.

Helen immediately complies while Maggie slowly pulls the horse over towards the feeding and watering troughs. Without letting go of the harness, she carefully climbs between the bars of the fence. Once through, she lets go and he stumbles off, ignoring the food and water. She stands there and watches as the stallion stumbles around the corral occasionally running into the sides accidentally.

"I'll keep and eye on him to make sure he recovers," Maggie states.

"I could do that if you like," Helen offers.

"No, that's alright," Maggie responds handing the curry comb to her employee. "I'm sure you have other work to do."

"Ok, let me know if you need anything," Helen replies as she turns and leaves.

Maggie watches sadly as the horse continues to get his bearings back. It saddens her to know that there are people in the world who can be so cruel to creatures that can't defend themselves. She waits until the stallion is charging at the fence again before she heads back towards Magick's barn.

Lost in thought, she walks into the barn and heads into the tack room. Once in there she changes her shoes and then grabs a lead rope. Working on autopilot, she clips the lead to Magick's halter and leads him out of the barn. She doesn't even notice him stealing the second carrot out of the back of her pants.

Taking him over to the mounting step, she swings up onto his back and settles herself. With a gentle nudge of her heels, she gets him moving. She heads out without even thinking about where she's going.

Some time later, Magick suddenly stops and it's only then that Maggie takes in her surroundings. They're in front of the house and Abe has his hand on Magick's halter.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

"Yeah, just thinking," she answers as she slides off Magick's back. "Were you aware that there have been earthquakes recently?"

"Of course," he answers, tilting his head to the side. "Weren't you?"

"No, and that has me very worried," she replies.

"Maggie," he starts. He's not sure how to tell her gently so he just goes for brutally honest. "You're the cause of them."

"What?" she shouts startling the large black animal next to her. She quickly puts a calming hand on him. "How can I be causing earthquakes and not know about it?"

"Well, they, like the wind storms happen when you, um," he tries to tell her.

"When I what, Abe?" she demands.

"When you and I…," he starts again.

The color drains from her face as realization dawns on her.

"You mean when we're, um, making love?" she choke out.

"Specifically, when you climax," he replies, turning a slightly darker shade of blue.

The blood that had previously left her face returns, and it brings friends. A lot of friends. She turns an incredible shade of red that forces Abe to try and not laugh. He doesn't do a very good job and she casts a withering glance at him.

"It's not funny," she snaps. "I'm responsible for a little boy being terrified out of his wits."

She walks away from them and sits on the front steps. Abe follows with Magick just behind him. The merman sits next to his distraught wife and puts an arm around him. She leans into him, burying her face into his foam neoprene clad chest just under the respirator.

"You knew Liz was going to lose control of her powers," he points out. "You had a room modified just for her. How could you not know that you would also lose control of your powers?"

"Liz isn't fully trained," she reminds him. "I am."

"Guillermo says that it happens to all Mages," he tells her.

She sits up and looks at him, her eyes wide with horror.

"If this is going to happen every time we, I…," she stutters.

"It'll only continue until you actually conceive," he informs her.

"But what if I can't get pregnant?" she asks in near hysterics.

"We would have never been able to Kiss if the Powers that be didn't think we could have a baby," he explains calmly. "All the research that Guillermo and I have done gives us every reason to believe that you will get pregnant soon."

"Is this a marriage or a research project to you?" she growls, narrowing her eyes.

"A marriage," he answers immediately. "I had questions before the wedding, so I went looking for the answers. Is that bad?"

"No, it's not," she sighs and lays her head back down. "I'm sorry."

"If it's any conciliation, there were no earthquakes yesterday afternoon when we were swimming," he tells her.

"Helen did mention that there was only a windstorm yesterday afternoon, but no earthquake," she states. "But I'm not doing it every time out in the lake. I can't tread water forever. Besides, Helen heard me last time."

"You wouldn't have to, I can tread water for both of us," he replies. "And it's a pond, not a lake."

"What do you mean it's not a lake?" she demands.

"It's not," he answers.

"Are you dissing my lake?" she growls.

"No, I'm just telling you it's a pond, not a lake," he responds, trying not to laugh. "It's too small to be a lake, but it's a very nice pond."

She just glares at him until a movement just past Abe catches her eye.

"You BEAST!" she yells, grabbing the lead out of Abe's hand and yanking on it. Magick looks at her, a bit startled, with the remains of a daffodil plant hanging from his mouth. "I just planted those."

"And you can plant more," he calmly tells her as he gently pulls the lead rope from her hands.

"Can this day get any more stressful?" she asks rhetorically as she props her elbows on her knees and drops her face into her hands.

"Want to go on a picnic?" he asks from out of nowhere after watching her wallow in self pity for a minute.

She lifts her head and looks at him. After staring at him for a good minute, she finally manages to form an answer.

"A picnic would be wonderful," she says.

"Good," he states.

She watches him in surprise as he hands the lead back to her and heads to the top of the steps. Sitting next to the front door is a picnic basket and a large blanket. He tosses the blanket over his arm and picks up the basket with a gloved hand.

"Where would you like to go?" he queries.

"I know the perfect place," she states as she stands up.

She positions Magick at the base of the stairs and commands him to stay. She takes a couple steps up and then leaps to his back. After landing on her stomach, she pushes herself up with her arms and then swings her leg over his rump.

She holds her hands out to Abe and he hands over the blanket and basket. Then following her lead, he leaps onto Magick's back and gracefully swings his leg over. She watches him in amazement as he positions himself right behind her.

"Do you have any idea how many times I had to practice that before I got it right?" she asks.

He chuckles as he takes the picnic items from her. After settling the blanket between them, he wraps his spare arm around her waist while the other one holds the basket. He leans over and kisses her cheek.

"More times than you care to count," he finally answers with a smile playing across his lips. "We better get going. I'm getting hungry and your neck is looking very tasty."

"Letch," she mutters as she turns around and tries to conceal her own smile.

She clicks her tongue to Magick as she gently squeezes him with her calves. He starts to walk and she guides him towards the path she wants using nothing more then leg pressure and an occasional tug on his mane.

Half an hour later finds them emerging from the shadow of the trees into a brightly lit lush meadow covered in wild flowers. Bees and butterflies buzz and flit from one flower to the next. Birds are singing up in the trees and off to one side is a pool of water fed by an underground spring. She stops Magick near the water.

"You're right," he whispers into her ear. "It is perfect."

He plants a kiss on her neck sending shivers down her spine and creating goose bumps down her arms. He hands her the basket and quickly dismounts. She gives him a mock glare as she hands back the basket and then dismounts as well.

Abe goes and examines the pool as Maggie unclasps the lead from Magick's halter. The water is pure and clear and it's a bit wider and deeper than most hot tubs. Abe's skin longs to soak in there, but instead he turns back to his wife who's spreading the blanket under the shade of a nearby tree.

He helps straighten out the fabric and then sits down. He starts to unload the basket as she sits down next to him. As he pulls out a bottle of apple cider, he notices Magick wandering around the clearing.

"Aren't you worried that he'll wander off?" Abe asks as he watches the Andalusian get a drink.

"No," she answers as she takes the bottle and goes over to the spring. "He knows not to go far. And don't worry about the predators, they know better."

She places the bottle in the creek created by the overflow of the pool.

"That should be nicely chilled in a little bit," she states.

He nods and then continues to unpack their lunch. She helps by getting out the plates, cutlery, glasses and napkins. When everything is ready, she goes back and gets the now chilled bottle of cider.

Half an hour later, and after a wonderful lunch of French bread, cheese, fresh fruit and cider, Maggie finds herself on her back watching the occasional puffy white cloud go floating overhead. When Abe is done repacking the remains of their lunch, he removes his respirator and settles down beside her. She snuggles up to him with her back to his side and sighs contentedly. He repositions himself so that they're spooning, and starts to stroke her soft silky hair. Within moments, she's sound asleep.


	6. Another Day, part 2

_Maggie is sitting at nice restaurant overlooking the San Francisco Bay in Sausalito waiting nervously. She barely notices_ _a sea gull glide by on the breeze as she takes a sip of water. She checks her watch. They're late. The maître d' leads a man in his mid thirties to her table. She looks at him curiously. _

"_Miss Cavendish?" the man asks as the maître d' leaves._

"_Yes," she answers, slightly confused._

"_I'm Mr. Roden," he explains. "I represent Mr. and Mrs. Steele. I've been sent here to give you this."_

_He hands her a neatly folded piece of paper. She takes it with trepidation; sure she's not going to like what it is. She's not disappointed when she opens it._

"_It's an order to cease and desist," he informs her. "Mr. and Mrs. Steele do not wish to have any further contact from you."_

"_All I did was to invite them to lunch," she whispers._

"_Be that as it may, you will not contact them again," Roden insists. "Or further legal action will be taken."_

"_Don't worry about that, Mr. Roden," she retorts as she stands, hastily dropping a twenty on the table. "I wouldn't want to their granddaughter to cause them any undue distress."_

_With that she quickly walks out of the restaurant fighting back the tears and steps out into the bright sunlight. As soon as her eyes adjust, she realizes she's on the ranch near the quarantine pen. The buckskin stallion charges the fence while Dr. Tambor is standing there waiting for her._

"_I'm sorry," he says sadly. "There's nothing more we can do for him."_

"_I understand," she replies shakily._

_She turns as he lifts a gun and aims it at the animal. She barely manages to cover her ears in time before the loud pop of the weapon going off. She feels the ground vibrate as the horse's body hits the ground. She looks back at the corral and it is Magick lying on the ground._

_Before she can even draw breath to scream, Abe forces her to look at him. They're standing on the shore of the Pacific Ocean on the small bit of beach near the Monterey Plaza Hotel. She can see Lewis standing just off shore. It looks like she's waiting._

"_Abe, get out of here!" Maggie warns._

"_It's alright, Maggie," he states calmly. "Since you can't seem to get pregnant, I've decided to go with Theresa. I'll finally be a father. I'm sure you'll be happy. You'll have your old life back."_

_Maggie stands there with her mouth hanging open in surprise and shock. Before her brain can form a response, he smoothly runs and dives into the water. A moment later, he's standing next to Lewis. They embrace and kiss before disappearing beneath the waves._

"**NOOOOOOO!"** Maggie screams, sitting up.

She's barely aware of the meadow or the sound of splashing water while tears stream down her face. Her body is wracked by great gasping sobs as she sinks back down onto the blanket. She's curling into a fetal position when she's suddenly grabbed by something cold and wet. She wraps her arms around the body holding her and cries her pain and fears into his chest.

After her tears finally stop, she continues to lie shaking in Abe's arms. She finally notices that he's rocking her, stroking her hair and making soothing noises. Finally, she loosens her grip on him and looks up into those incredible blue eyes.

Without a word, he leans down and claims her lips with his own. She hungrily returns his kiss like she can never get enough of him. She's vaguely aware of her clothes being pulled on as their tongues dance an erotic dance that has only one outcome.

A short eternity later, she becomes aware of his hands caressing her bare body. A small part of her brain wonders how he got her shirt off without their mouths losing contact with each other. He fondles a nipple and all non-vital brain functions cease to work.

His lips work their way down her neck, across her collar bone until they find their way to a pink bud. He takes the nipple into his mouth as her back arches into him, moans escape her from her throat and her hands hold onto the back of his head.

A soft knicker from somewhere nearby sparks a memory in the back of her mind. That one single thought fights its way to the forefront of her passion addled brain, partially snapping her out of her erotic delirium.

"Abe, wait," she gasps, feebly trying to push him back. "We can't."

"Why not?" he asks, finally releasing her nipple and then immediately finding her earlobe.

"Jamy. Earthquakes," she manages to whisper.

Without another word, he scoops her up into his arms and carries her to the spring. Gracefully sliding into the pool, he submerges them up to their necks, and the cool liquid quickly chills her. He immediately goes back to his delightful attack with his hands and lips and her body temperature rises. Hands and lips touch, caress, explore, fondle and grope their way around the other's body.

She wraps her legs around his torso as her lips find his and he sinks down further into the coolness up to his chin. He gladly lets her take charge as her hands explore his body in search for his erogenous zones. She already knows of his gills, so she avoids those and lets her hands adventure around the areas she can reach.

She eventually discovers the base of his dorsal fin. She gently strokes her fingers along it causing him to give an involuntary shudder. His gills flare and start to furiously work to absorb more oxygen from the water. Her lips leave his as she works across his face towards the side of his neck. Taking a lung full of air, she plunges her face into the water so that she can kiss and lick the front gill.

He can't take it anymore and he stands in the water that reaches to his ribs, letting her slide further down his body until his erection finds her hot core. She holds onto his shoulders as he pushes her hips down and completes their union. She gasps as cool meets hot, but quickly recovers as he starts to move.

Her heat soaks into him as he slowly trusts into her, causing more moans as she hangs onto him. Her hips match his movements while her brain takes a vacation somewhere in the stratosphere. Their groans and cries reverberate off of the trees and they grow louder as the pace increases.

He plunges in and out of her creating a delicious heat with the friction. He can feel himself losing control just as she lets out a scream, convulsing with pleasure. Ramming himself as far as he can into her, he finds his release into her hot center.

The now familiar flooding of emotions and memories come pouring into his brain, but this time, instead of ignoring them, he catches what he can as the thoughts wash over him like a tidal wave. He pulls Maggie closer to him as her body relaxes from their latest excursion. As their hearts slowly return to their normal pace, her body starts to shiver from the cold though she doesn't complain.

Careful not to dislodge her, Abe exits the spring and carries his exhausted wife over to the blanket. The material is now only half in the shade thanks to the Earth's movement and he lays her down on the sun warmed portion. Kneeling down beside her, he strokes her face until she finally opens her eyes and looks at him.

"I'm going to go get dressed," he tells her. "I'll be right back. Ok?"

"Ok," she whispers her reply as she stretches languidly.

He collects his gear and dons it in record time. With all do haste, he returns to Maggie who hasn't moved except to throw one arm over her eyes. He stops and stares at the glorious sight he sees lay out before him, stunned by her incredible beauty. His hormones want to take advantage of this stunning nude goddess before him, unfortunately, his body can't respond. Maggie snorts, interrupting his musings.

"I'm not that good looking," she states.

Belatedly, he realizes he was broadcasting again.

"That, my love, is a matter of opinion," he replies.

He retrieves her clothes and then settles down next to her. She peeks out of the crook of her arm and looks at him with one hazel eye. He pulls that sun warmed arm down just before he kisses her softly. She sighs contentedly with her eyes shut as he pulls back.

"You should probably get dressed," he states.

She growls her response as her arm flops back over her eyes.

"You'll get sunburned," he gently warns her. "In places you won't like."

Muttering something about it being rude to disturb the dead, she struggles to sit up. Abe reaches out and helps her into an upright position. Grumbling, she takes her clothes from him and starts to get dressed.

A short time later, she's fully clothed except for her boots. Abe is sitting under a nearby tree watching her. She goes over and snuggles down next to him.

"Want to talk about your dream?" he asks quietly as he circles her shoulders with his arm.

She shudders as she buries her face in her shoulder. He wraps his other arm around her and pulls her closer.

"I can see why I'd dream about that new horse and you leaving me because I couldn't get pregnant, but I'm not sure why my brain decided to bring up that other dreadful memory," she finally answers softly as one her arms finds its way around his waist. "That happened over sixteen years ago."

"Rejection and loss," he states. "Your grandparents rejected you and you lost that part of your heritage. The horse has rejected your efforts to calm him, and while losing him would hurt, losing Magick would be an even more traumatic. You fear that I'll reject you because you haven't gotten pregnant yet and that you'll lose me."

He lets that sink in for a few moments before continuing on.

"I'll never leave you, you know," he whispers into her hair just before he kisses the top of her head. "Even if you never do get pregnant, you won't be rid of me and you especially will never lose me to Lewis. The woman makes my scales crawl." He gives a small involuntary shudder. "I love you for who you are not for whether or not you can have children with me. Besides, you have to admit, it is certainly fun trying to get you pregnant."

"Except for the earthquakes," she mutters. "How are we going to control those if I don't get pregnant? I don't fancy making love in the middle of the la…pond for the rest of whatever."

"We'll think of something," he replies. "In the meantime, we should probably get going. Helen might start to wonder what's happened to you."

"You're right," she sighs. "Though I wouldn't mind staying here forever."

"Nor I," he states. "Unfortunately, we don't need Helen calling the local authorities to come and find you. I'm fairly sure Manning would have a fit about it."

"That man needs to take a vacation," she grumbles as she reluctantly pulls away. "A long one. Preferably someplace very far away."

Abe chuckles as he releases her. Maggie slips her feet into her riding boots, grabs the lead lying on the ground and goes to get Magick who's been dozing in the sun. At first, he refuses to move, but eventually relents at the offering of an apple after they get back.

By the time she returns with the reluctant equine, Abe has shaken out the blanket, folded it and is patiently waiting for them. After 'pulling' up a rock so that they can mount the large animal, they head back home.

A while later, Maggie drops Abe off in front of the house. She kisses him, snags a left over apple from the basket and then heads back to the ranch. Shortly, she finds herself leading Magick back into his barn with him happily munching on the remains of his apple. Once inside, she takes the lead off of his halter and heads into the tack room. She changes her shoes, grabs the grooming box and returns to Magick.

She finds him in his stall nosing his food bin trying to find any missed morsels. With a small chuckle, she puts the box on the ground and heads for the food locker. She dumps a healthy sized scoop of oats into his bin before she starts giving him a thorough grooming. Some time later, as she's finishing combing out his long tail, Helen walks into the barn.

"Hello, Helen," Maggie greets. "What can I do for you?"

Magick gives the new comer a cursory glance and then goes back to the near doze state he had previously been in. Helen stands and watches for a moment, but decides to stay out of reach of the stallion.

"Hi, Miss Cavendish," Helen finally replies. "How was your ride?"

"It was very nice, thank you," Maggie responds.

"That's good," Helen states.

There's silence for several minutes as Maggie now works on combing out the stallion's mane. She finally stops her ministrations to her horse and looks at her employee.

"Is there something I can do for you, Helen?" Maggie asks.

"I was just wondering…," she starts.

"You were just wondering what?" Maggie questions after several moments of silence.

"I was just wondering," Helen continues, "when I get to meet him."

"Meet whom?" Maggie inquires.

"Your husband."


	7. Another Day, part 3

Maggie stares at Helen like a deer caught in headlights as all the blood in her face retreats for her toes. A good thirty seconds later, Maggie's brain has to remind the lungs what they're there for. Maggie finally manages to blink as she desperately tries to think of something to say.

"What makes you think I'm married?" she finally asks, trying to make it sound like a lighthearted question and failing.

"You don't wear jewelry unless it's a special occasion," Helen states as she points to Maggie's left hand. "Yet, you've been wearing that ring since last July. You even muck the stalls with it on."

Maggie opens her mouth as she tries to come up with a reason for the ring, but Helen interrupts her before the words can form.

"Monday night there was some big shindig up at your place," Helen continues. "Now I know that could have been for any reason, but when I got a good look at your hand while we were grooming the buckskin earlier, I noticed that a wedding band has joined the first ring. Plus, yesterday I found you coming out of the water in your birthday suit right after I heard some noises that I _know_ no bird made. I know those sounds. Doug and I used to make them before we had kids. And to top it all off, you have this relaxed look about you like you've been thoroughly, completely and satisfyingly laid."

At the last of Helen's comments, the blood that was hiding in Maggie's toes comes back with reinforcements. Her face is so hot that she's surprised that she doesn't instantaneously combust. She's sure that any second she's going to put Liz's abilities to shame.

"Uh huh, I though so," Helen smirks. "So, when do I get to meet him?"

"You can't," Maggie sadly replies to Helen's hurt look. "And before you ask why, it's complicated. Just trust me that your life will be a whole lot simpler if you never meet him."

"Like running this place and raising two kids is simple," Helen snorts. "He got a name at least?"

"Abe," Maggie answers. Hoping to change the subject she asks a question of her own. "How's the buckskin anyways?"

"He's not charging the fence anymore, but he still hasn't eaten," Helen answers with a look on her face that says that she's not fooled.

"What's in his food bin?" Maggie inquires.

"I gave him some alfalfa and hay," Helen replies.

"Let's try giving him something sweet to entice him to eat," Maggie suggests. "Would you mind making a mixture of apples, oats and honey please?"

"I'll get right on it," she answers.

"Thank you," Maggie replies as she finally goes back to combing out Magick's mane.

Helen nods as she turns and then leaves the barn. As soon as she's gone, Maggie leans against Magick's shoulder and sighs.

"If Manning ever finds out about this, he'll have kittens," she mumbles into the long, thick mane she's just combed out.

Magick just snorts as he rubs his head against her leg to ease an itch. With another sigh, she puts the grooming tools back in their box and returns the box to the tack room. She leaves and heads for the quarantine corral.

She sees the stallion leaning against the fence on the far side, so she goes around to that side. Sending out calming energy as she approaches, she nears the large animal.

He finally notices her and snorts. He moves away from her and heads across the pen. He stumbles as he walks, like he's drunk and he starts sweating. When he finally stops, he's noticeably shaking and he is breathing heavy even though he's only gone a little over half way across the pen.

"The drunk walk and shaking he was doing before I came and talked to you, but the sweating is new," Helen says as she walks up with a plastic bucket in her hand.

"Even wild horses are somewhat predictable, but not this guy," Maggie states.

"Do you want to go in there and try to feed this to him?" Helen asks as she holds up the bucket.

"No, I don't want anyone going in there," Maggie answers. "Let's replace the hay and alfalfa with what's in the bucket. Hopefully the smell alone will get him to eat."

Without another word, Maggie pulls out the dried grasses out of the feeding trough while Helen pours in the sticky mixture of oats, apples and honey. After depositing the alfalfa and hay into a nearby wheelbarrow, Maggie turns and watches the stallion. He's found his way to the fence again and is leaning on it once more. Unfortunately, he's directly opposite the food and water troughs.

"Let's see if we can get him to move closer to the food," Maggie suggests.

Maggie and Helen walk towards where the horse is resting. He moves off, but his erratic wanderings make it hard to gauge where he's going to end up. After several minutes of trying to get him closer to his food all they've managed to do is make the poor animal lose more fluids with sweating and become even more unstable on his feet.

"All right, that's enough," Maggie calls. "We're not accomplishing anything by this."

"You're right," Helen agrees. "Besides, I have other things that I need to do. And I'm sure you have other things you'd like to be doing."

Helen ends her words with a knowing smirk and a suggestive eyebrow wiggle. Maggie can feel her face heating up again. Without another word, Helen turns and goes off to do some other chore. Maggie stands there staring at Helen's retreating back in shock; she can hear the woman snickering.

Trying to regain something that might resemble composure, Maggie takes several deep breaths before heading back up to the house. Once there, she heads for her room and changes into old shorts and a t-shirt. Then she heads back outside for the garden. She casually notes that the shadows are starting to get longer.

Stopping by the tool shed, she grabs a few things and heads for the vegetable patch. After ensuring their ripeness she picks some tomatoes, a few zucchini and a couple of eggplants, and then she puts them in a basket. She no sooner places the basket on the top step in front of the kitchen door when she's suddenly hit with a dizzy spell. Grabbing hold of the banister, she waits for the world to stop spinning.

When she feels a bit more stable, she looks around and notices fairies returning to their perches in the trees and leaves settling back down to Earth. She glances back at the house and sees the hanging plants in the kitchen window are swinging from side to side.

Badly shaken by what she's witnessed and the sudden case of vertigo, she returns to the garden and starts to work on the weeds. She notes that scarlet pimpernel is strangling the green bean plants, so she goes to work on them first. She sends energy into the roots to make them wither and die, but instead the plants suddenly grow. It's like watching one of those sped up films of a plant growing that you sometimes see on a nature show. But this isn't TV and there's no camera.

Confused, she tries to kill a cheese weed that's sprouted up next to the romaine. This time it only partially wilts. She tries to send growing energy into one of her corn stalks and it immediately withers and dies. When she tries it on a weed, nothing happens. She's near tears when a calm voice nearly shocks her out of a year's growth.

"Is everything alright, Maggie?" Abe asks.

She looks at him with a look very close to panic. He's dressed in his dry land gear and his skin is glistening like he just got out of the water. He's giving off vibes of worry and his head is tilted to one side.

"I think I'm losing my powers or my mind," she finally answers, her voice shaking. "I had a strange dizzy spell, I'm pretty sure I caused another earthquake and I've seemed to have lost my ability to control plants."

Taking a glove off, he approaches her with his hand outstretched. She gladly lets him examine her, even if it's just for the comfort that his touch can bring her. He starts with her head and works his way down. When he reaches her lower abdomen, he stops and a smile creeps across his face.

Before she can ask him anything, his lips are on hers and all conscious thoughts fly off into the wind as his passion consumes her senses. She's barely aware of their clothes disappearing as his lips and hands work magic over her body. Her brain only partially registers him laying her down in the soft moist soil.

When he enters her, the only thing that matters is the feeling of him moving in and out of her. His hardened member plunges back and forth as his lips plunder and explore her mouth and a hand caresses her breast and fondles her nipple. Her cries and moans are caught in his mouth as her pleasure becomes all consuming.

His speed increases as her legs come up to allow him deeper access into her. He grinds into her harder and deeper as she quickly races to the edge of oblivion. Moments later, she steps into the abyss of pleasure with him following a few seconds later.

Several moments later, when her breathing returns to something like normal and her heart starts to slow down, she finally opens her eyes. They're lying in the middle of her vegetable garden between the string beans and the corn. She can feel gentle kisses being placed on her cheek, neck and shoulder and he's making sounds that could almost be called purring.

"I suppose there's a reason why you caused another earthquake," she demands.

She tries to be angry with him, but it's impossible with him being so obviously happy and with her being, as Helen put it, thoroughly, completely and satisfyingly laid. He quietly chuckles as he pulls back a bit and smiles at her.

"No earthquake this time," he responds happily.

"What do you mean there was no earthqua…?" she starts to ask in confusion and then her eyes get really big. "You mean I'm…?"

"Congratulations," he whispers just before he places a gentle kiss on her lips.

She starts shaking in fear, worry, concern and a whole barrel full of other emotions as they run rampant through her. He holds her closer, if that is at all physically possible, as she feels like she's going to truly lose her mind.

"It's alright, my love," he reassures her. "It's going to be alright."

He manages to move both of them into an upright position with her on his lap without ever losing contact. She wraps her arms and legs around him and buries her face into his chest like a frightened child. He continues to hold onto her as he rests his chin on top of her head and starts to run his hands up and down her back.

"I don't know if I'm ready for this," she hisses. "What if I make a horrible mother? What if something happens to you on a mission? What if…?"

"Hush, love," he answers calmly. "While I can't guarantee that nothing will ever happen to either me _or_ you, I do know you'll make a wonderful mother."

"How can you be so sure?" she whispers.

"Because, you're a caring, loving person," he answers. "And I know that our child will want for nothing."

"At least not financially," she retorts.

"Or emotionally," he responds. "Come on; let's go get you cleaned up."

She finally looks up and gives him a quizzical look. He grabs her braid and pulls it over her shoulder.

"I'm afraid I ground mud into your hair," he states sheepishly.

After trying to brush off as much of the dirt off of her, they stand and collect their discarded clothes. While Abe redresses, Maggie picks up the gardening tools she brought out and puts them away. Abe finishes just as she puts the last item in its place.

He waits for her at the base of the kitchen steps as she completes her task and starts to head in. Just before she reaches him another dizzy spell hits her and Abe barely manages to catch her before she hits the ground

As soon as the spinning in her head subsides, she gets her feet back under her. The next thing she knows Abe's bare hand is on her smooth flat belly. Before she can ask what's going on, he pulls her into a bear hug.

"Need air here," she gasps a minute later.

"Sorry," he apologizes as he quickly releases her.

"What was that all about?" she asks, puzzled.

Instead of answering, he gives her a long gentle kiss that nearly makes her wish that he'd lay her down in the vegetable garden again. When he finally breaks the kiss, he pulls back with a huge grin on his face and he's chuckling.

"What's so funny?" she demands.

"Twins," he laughs.

It takes her about a minute to register and process his answer. When she finally does, her eyes grow to about the size of dinner plates and the blood in her face leaves for parts unknown.

"T-t-t-twins?" she manages to stutter out. "I'm going to have twins?"

He's laughing out loud now and nodding. Maggie feels her knees go weak and Abe tightens his hold on her.

"Nononononononononono," she wails. "I'm not ready to be a mother of one, much less two kids."

"It will be alright," he chuckles.

"Oh, sure, for you maybe," she snarls. "It's not like you're going to get as big as an elephant."

"You won't get as big as an elephant," he reassures her. "A hippo, maybe…"

"Beast," she growls as she pulls away and marches into the house.

Knowing that she just needs time to adjust to the idea of her pregnancy and that she's not really mad at him, Abe picks up the basket of produce and carries it into the kitchen. He can hear the shower going so goes looking for an instruction book. After a few minutes of looking, he finally finds what he's looking for. He speed reads through the introduction and then turns to the index. After checking on what he has on hand he looks up what he wants.

He puts the book on the kitchen counter and starts to get to work. He hears the shower turn off and a few minutes later, the door opens and he listens as the footsteps head upstairs. Several minutes later, Maggie appears in the kitchen with jeans, a t-shirt and socks on and her still damp hair hanging loose behind her.

"What are you doing?" she asks.

"Making dinner," he answers.

"How much cooking experience have you had?" she inquires.

"None," he replies with an elegant shrug.

"You've never even so much as boiled a pot of water before, have you?" she questions.

"No," he states as he continues with his preparations. "I read the cook book and I can follow directions."

"Well, there's always takeout," she mutters as she surrenders the kitchen to him.

He watches her retreating back for a moment and then goes back to slicing up the eggplant. She heads for her office thinking to check on her email. Shortly after sitting down at her desk, something catches her attention out of the corner of her eye. Looking over, she notices two stacks of books on the bookcase that shouldn't be there.

She goes over to the new books and gets quite the surprise. As she reads the titles in the first stack, she can feel her face starting to get warm. Very warm. She quickly reads the titles in the second stack and starts to feel her ire rising. However, considering her current predicament, she guesses they're kind of necessary now.

Picking up a book with a yellow and black cover from the first pile, returns to her chair and starts to read. After skipping the dedication and acknowledgment page, and getting a good giggle out of page of cartoons, she starts to read the first chapter.

Just as she's starting the third chapter, Abe walks in. He stops dead in his tracks when he sees what she's reading. Maggie glances at him from the corner of her eye and notices that he's a slightly deeper shade of blue than normal.

"You know, I don't mind you doing research," she states as she holds her book up. "But it might have been nice to share some of these with the wife. Dr. Ruth is funny and very informative. Plus, I love the little cartoons in here."

With some satisfaction, she watches him turn and even deeper shade of blue. He quietly walks over, gently pulls "Sex for Dummies" out of her hands and puts it back on top with the other sex edification books.

"Dinner is ready," he simply states.

He heads out the door, turns and heads towards the kitchen. Silently chuckling, Maggie follows him. Once in the kitchen, she's stunned to see a beautifully set table complete with flowers and candles. Her heart just melts at the sight.

"So what's for dinner?" she asks.

"Salad, garlic bread, steamed zucchini and eggplant parmesan," he answers.

"Wow, that's a lot more ambitious then I was the first time I tried to make something in the kitchen," she admits.

"I hardly call blowing up a can of soup in the microwave making something," he states as he pulls a chair out for her.

"It was to making something," she retorts while she sits and he pushes the chair in. "It made a very large mess."

"You had to buy a new microwave."

"So? How was I supposed to know that you shouldn't put metal in the microwave."

He looks at her critically; she's trying desperately not to laugh and failing spectacularly. Shaking his head while laughing, he takes his seat across from her. She's still smiling as she serves herself some salad. He does the same and they eat in quiet companionship.

Several minutes later they get to the main course and Maggie tries the eggplant. She looks at him in surprise.

"This is really good," she compliments. "Are you sure you've never cooked before?"

"Quite certain," he replies.

"If you can make something this good the first time out, you can do all the cooking," she states.

"Only if you do the dishes," he counters.

"Deal," she answers almost before he's done talking. "I don't mind the dishes so much, but I hate cooking. I've never been able to get the hang of it. I guess that exploding soup thing must have scarred me psychologically. That or I'm just not a very good cook."

"But last night's dinner…," he starts.

"I can at least manage to boil a pot of water and throw some pasta in it without destroying it," she interrupts. "And before you ask about the sauce, it came out of a jar."

"Ah," he responds. "So what were your intentions for the vegetables that you picked?"

"I was going to slice up the zucchini and eggplant, drizzle a little olive oil and sprinkle some Italian seasonings on them and bake them in the oven," she answers. "I've made it before. It's actually pretty good. The tomatoes would have gone into the salad."

"It's good that you get plenty of vegetables in your diet," he states. "But you do realize that you're going to have to start eating more protein now, don't you?"

"I get plenty of protein in the foods I eat," she replies.

"You'll need even more with twins," he states.

"As long as you don't expect me to eat anything that comes from a land or air animal, I'll probably be agreeable to it," she responds as she tries to ignore the last word he said.

"You eat eggs," he points out with a head tilt.

"Non-fertile eggs from organically fed, cage free chickens," she informs him.

"Why do you have a problem with the twins?" he asks.

"It's not the twins I have a problem with," she answers. "It's the fact that I'm pregnant with twins that I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around."

"Your parents always tried for a second child, didn't they?" he asks.

Maggie only nods since her mouth is full of food. She looks at him curiously, adding in her own head tilt.

"It's entirely possible that these twins will be our only children," he sadly states. "Guillermo believes that they never had another child was because of their powers working against them."

"Before you start getting all melancholy on me, it's also possible that there's a more mundane reason that my parents didn't have any more children," she says.

"I would really like it if we can have more children," he replies.

"What am I? A baby making a machine?" she demands. "Can we get through this pregnancy first, please?"

"Of course, I'm sorry," he responds contritely. He continues on a bit more brightly. "But still, twins. That is a bit of a shock."

"Not really," Maggie tells him. "My mother was a twin. It's normal for twins to run in families. I guess it can skip generations."

"You have an uncle…?" he starts.

"Who's never bothered to contact me," she responds a bit angrily. "But then again, with my mother's parent's attitude, I'm not too surprised."

"Have you met any of your mother's family?" he asks.

"No," she states in such a way that the topic is now closed.

She stands and starts to clear the table. Abe sits and watches her for a minute as she starts to load the dishwasher. He leaves the table and quietly comes up behind her. When she turns around she runs right into his chest.

"I'm sorry," he whispers as he pulls her into an embrace. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't upset me," she reassures him while her arms encircle his waist. "Their pig headedness has."

After several minutes of holding each other, she finally pulls back and looks up at him. He leans down and their lips meet. She reaches up to touch his face during the kiss and her hand finds skin that is too warm and dry. A moment later, they part.

"Why don't you go soak while I finish cleaning up," she offers. "I'll make dessert after I'm done."

"Dessert?" he asks with that all too familiar head tilt.

"I think I can manage to scoop the ice cream out of the container without blowing anything up," she playfully growls.

He nods his agreement with a smile, gives her one last lingering kiss and then heads down the hall into the bathroom. She watches him walk away, keeping her eyes just below the waist line. She can hear his chuckle float down the hall as he enters the bathroom.

As soon as he's out of sight, she goes back to work cleaning up. About half an hour later, the last of the pots and pans is air drying in the drying rack and the dishwasher is happily humming away. As she's putting the leftover food into the fridge, something catches her attention out of the corner of her eye.

Pulling the bottle out and looking at it, she gets an idea that makes her heart flutter and her groin heat up. Quickly checking to see what she has on hand, she then makes up a tray consisting of bowls and spoons.

After that is readied, she heads for the family room and spends about another half hour getting that room ready. Then she heads upstairs and rushes to get changed. Shortly after that's done, she heads back to the kitchen. She hurriedly fills the bowls and then carries the tray into the family room. After leaving it on the hearth, she goes to the bathroom to retrieve Abe hoping that he hasn't fallen asleep.

"Abe?" she quietly calls from the door.

_Yes, love?_ he thinks back at her.

"Dessert's ready," she tells him.

_Alright, I'll be out in a minute,_ he responds.

Maggie closes the door as he emerges from his refreshing bath. After letting the water out, he starts to dress. Several minutes later, he leaves the bathroom. He notices that the lights have been turned off in the kitchen. He looks the other way down the hall and sees a soft glow coming from the family room. He heads for the light and when he enters the room he's painfully reminded that foam neoprene doesn't stretch.

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not claim to own any part of "Sex for Dummies" by Dr. Ruth Westheimer. 


	8. Dessert

Abe stares in stunned surprise at the scene before him. The couch, over stuffed chairs and coffee table have been pushed off to the side of the room. A wide variety of pillows and blankets have been spread out over the floor in front of the fireplace with candles giving off the soft glow have been placed on almost every horizontal surface all over the room. On the hearth is a tray with a can of whipped topping, several bowls and the bowls are filled with a wide variety of food items. Maggie is reclining on some of the pillows near the tray, her hair spilling over the pillow and she's only wearing a black negligee that leaves very little to the imagination.

As soon as his eyes come to rest on his wife, he can't pull them away. She gives him a knowing, leering smile as she picks up one of the spoons that was resting in a bowl that has some sort of honey brown liquid in it. Holding up the spoon, she lets the contents dribble back down into the vessel.

"I thought I would make ice cream sundaes," she says quietly as she passes her finger through the stream of liquid. "But I wasn't sure what you would like on yours."

With that, she replaces the spoon in its bowl and suggestively sucks on the finger that's covered with the fluid. He noticeably swallows and even in the low light she can see him turn a darker shade of blue. Crooking her finger at him, she entices him to come closer.

With a bit of difficulty, he crosses the room. He stops in front of her and she comes up onto her knees with a slight flinch. She reaches out and unzips his shorts providing some relief from the pressure. Then she pulls his shorts off and as soon as they're around his ankles, she sits back against the pillows.

He stares at her for a good minute. He knows what she has planned and it's more than obvious that a certain part of his body isn't in the least bit disagreeable with it. With a mental shrug, he frees his feet from the shorts, kicks them out of the way and sits down next to her.

"You do realize that we've made love seven times in less than thirty-six hours, do you not?" he asks as one of her hands starts to play with the buckles on his top and the first one loosens.

"Really? I haven't been keeping count," she responds as a second buckle opens.

"I won't be able to finish as quickly this time," he warns as another buckle is released.

"Good," she purrs at him as the final buckle is undone and she peels his top off of him. He reaches for his respirator and she stops him. "Leave it. Like you said, this may take a while."

She looks at him with eyes dark from more than the low lighting and he feels a certain appendage twitch. She runs her hands down his bare chest, stops just below his rib cage and then leans back. While pulling off his gloves, he can feel his heart starting to race and he's surprised that she can't hear it.

"You seem to be overdressed for the occasion," he states as he reaches for her.

He kisses her as he gently pushes the thin straps of her negligee off of her shoulders. She lets him divest her of the silky garment as their tongues dance with each other. After the negligee is gone, he reaches for the panties that seem to be held on by nothing more than wishful thinking. She stops him, rolls onto her stomach and then reaches toward the dessert waiting for them.

"So, what type of toppings do you want on your ice cream?" she asks waving a hand over the tray. "We have chocolate, caramel and butterscotch sauces. There's also whipped topping, candy sprinkles, chopped nuts and sliced and whole strawberries."

"I've never tried butterscotch before," he whispers in her ear as he lies down beside her.

He rubs a hand over the uneven skin on her back. She gives an odd shudder, but says nothing to him as he continues to rub the scars. She picks the spoon up out of a bowl with a golden liquid in it and repeats what she did with the previous topping.

"Here, try some," she offers as she holds out the gooey digit to him.

He happily takes her finger into his mouth and starts to suck and lick it clean. A shiver runs up her spine as goose bumps make an appearance all over her skin. After he finally releases her finger, he rolls her onto her back. He props himself up onto an elbow and then picks up the bowl with the honey brown sauce in it.

"I've never tried caramel before either," he claims.

With that, he lifts the spoon and drizzles the sauce on her chest just between her breasts. After replacing the bowl on the tray, he proceeds to lick her clean. He can hear her starting to pant and he can feel her heart pounding against her ribs with his tongue.

Several minutes later he's fairly sure he's gotten every molecule of caramel off of her and he reaches for the bowl with the chocolate sauce in it. She takes it from him and gently pushes him back onto the pillows.

"My turn," she tells him.

With a smile, he gets comfortable and she waits for him to get settled. As soon as he stops moving, she slides over to him and holds the bowl over one of his feet. Ever so carefully, she pours a thin stream of sauce on him starting at his foot, going up the length of his body and stopping just shy of the respirator.

After returning the bowl to the tray, she places herself by his feet. Without taking her eyes off of his face, she slowly and carefully starts to lap the chocolate off of his skin. The unique texture of his skin holds the sauce in interesting ways and she takes great delight in licking him clean.

By the time her mouth reaches his hip, one hand is clutching at the blankets and his other hand is tangled in her hair. He hopes that she'll take a little detour but she continues to work her way up his body ignoring his throbbing member, rubbing her own body against his as she goes. By the time she finishes cleaning the last of the chocolate off of him, he's quite sure that when this is all over that they're going to have to lock him in a rubber tank.

Both sets of eyelids, which he wasn't even aware he had shut, fly open when her lips touch his. She's half laying on him as her lips caress his. With a moan that resonates from his chest, he returns the kiss. Several minutes of passionate kissing later, she pulls away.

"Your turn," she whispers just before she lies back onto the pillows.

A few moments later he manages to regain some control over his body. He picks up the chocolate sauce bowl with a slightly shaking hand and moves over to her. He notices her watching him and she's biting her bottom lip. He takes note of the heaving chest as he drizzles the dark liquid onto her. Starting at the nipple he pours a spiral over her breast.

When he's done with the chocolate, he picks up the can of whipped topping and squirts out a healthy sized pile on top of the chocolate, and then comes the sprinkles, chopped nuts and finally a perfectly ripened strawberry. He takes another look at her. Her head is back, her body is shaking with anticipation and both her hands are clutching the pillow beneath her head.

With great relish, he dives into his creation eliciting moans and cries from her. He licks, nips and sucks the perfect orb which has become a bit of a challenge since it's now a moving target. She writhes with pleasure under his skillful mouth as she tries to grab hold of anything she can get her hands onto.

Finally, her hands come to rest on the back of his head, holding him to her. After thoroughly cleaning the toppings off of her, he gives her nipple only last lick before he pulls her hands away. Leaning back against the pillows, he looks over at the quivering mass of woman he left behind.

"Your turn," he entices her.

Several deep steadying breaths later, she's finally able to sit up and look at him. Picking up the bowl with the butterscotch in it, she goes to the previously ignored foot. Repeating the action from earlier, she leaves a trail of the golden sauce from his foot to his chest.

After replacing the bowl, she grabs the can and sprays a line of whipped topping on top of the butterscotch. She quickly follows it with sprinkles and nuts and then places strawberry slices along her creation, making it look like little red heart shaped stepping stones down the length of his body. Unlike before, where she was on the same side as the topping, this time she's on the other side of his body from it causing her to have to lay across his body to get to the sweet treat waiting for her.

She deliberately rubs herself along his body causing his brain to shut down and his penis to jump around with excitement. When she gets to his hip, she takes extra care in licking up the gooey goodness there. Then she briefly pulls her mouth away and arches her back, allowing her breasts to rub over his hardened member.

His body is slightly shaking and his moans echo throughout the room as he starts to grind his hips into her warm soft flesh. She pulls away and goes back to tormenting him with her tongue, lips and teeth. By the time she gets to his foot he's trembling and the sound of whimpering can be heart. With one final lick, she returns to her spot.

A couple of minutes later, he finally realizes she's done and he looks over at her. She's got a grin on her like the cat that ate the canary and then followed it with a bowl of cream. He removes his respirator with all due haste. Then he rolls over, crawls over to her and then rips off her panties before she can draw breath to protest.

She barely has time to gasp before his lips are on hers; kissing her with all the passion he's managed to hold onto until now. A hand fondles her nipple as one of his knees tries to separate her legs. She gladly opens her legs in invitation and he gratefully accepts.

He releases her mouth as he drives his erection into her. She wraps her legs around him as he hardness plunges in and out of her causing her cries of pleasure to fill the room. Back and forth he moves pushing her closer to the edge of oblivion. Her hot moist core and the moans escaping her lips are sending him nearer to the abyss. He tries to hold on for as long as he can, but the instant he feels her walls contract around his penis he gives one final hard thrust as he pours himself into her, causing her to scream out his name.

He collapses on top of her. Several moments later, as he comes down from cloud nine, he's able to register his surroundings once more. He can feel and hear her breathing heavily and he can feel her heart pounding against her ribs. He starts to gently place kisses in her hair until she finally starts to respond to him.

When he's sure she's recovered enough, he gently pulls away from her causing her to give out a small whimper. Grabbing the edge of blanket they're laying on, he wraps it around them and settles in next to her. She happily snuggles up to him and lays her head on his shoulder with a sigh of contentment.

"The ice cream's melted," he finally states after several minutes of cuddle time.

"Good, now we can just drink it," she mumbles. "I don't think I could handle a spoon right now."

"You were doing just fine a little while ago," he teases.

"Brat," she mutters as she tries to get more comfortable.

He quietly chuckles as he strokes her hair. She tries to fall asleep, but all of the sugar she's just consumed is putting her brain into overdrive. Thoughts chase each other around her mind until they finally settle on an immediate worry.

"What will happen to the new horse if he doesn't eat?" Abe asks.

"I don't know," Maggie answers sadly not it the least bit surprised he was ease dropping on her thoughts. "If he was approachable, there would be options, but he's totally erratic. I'm afraid that he was used as a guinea pig by his former owner and it probably caused brain damage. If he doesn't eat, we might have to put him down. If he does eat, I'm still not sure what to do with him."

"Don't you have an area with horses like him?" he inquires.

"There is an entire pasture of 'Untouchables,'" she replies. "However, it would require castrating him first, and if we can't get near him, we won't be able to do it."

At the word 'castrating,' Abe starts to squirm around uncomfortably. Maggie buries her face into his chest, trying not to laugh.

"It's not funny," he sulks.

"I'm sorry, love," she snickers. "You're so unique that it never occurred to me that you would react like almost every other male I know when I mention cast…."

She's stopped by a hand suddenly covering her mouth. She starts to kiss and lick the appendage until it's suddenly taken away and replaced with a mouth. Closing her eyes, she eagerly returns the buss. Several minutes later, he pulls back and a delightful shiver runs down her spine.

"You keep that up and you better start popping Viagra," she playfully growls as she tries to get her hormones under control.

He chuckles evilly as he tosses back the blanket that was covering them. Then he scoops her up into his arms despite her protests and stands up, a feat which amazes her.

He carries her upstairs and into the master bathroom. He sets her on her feet, turns the water on in the shower and then just holds her.

"I already took a shower," she points out.

"And then you got yourself covered in ice cream toppings," he reminds her.

After the hot water finally arrives, she reaches in and adjusts the temperature. They step in together and she grabs the soap and cleans off the sticky residue on his skin. When she's done, he works on her. By the time he's done, she's leaning against the wall, barely able to stand. He turns off the water and carries her out of the stall

The sugar high has worn off and she's quite content to just let him take care of her as he wraps her in a large fluffy towel. He finishes drying her off, picks her up and then puts her to bed. He crawls in next to her and she cuddles up to him. He strokes her damp hair until she falls into a deep asleep.

He disentangles himself from her arms, slips out of bed and heads downstairs. Back in the family room he dresses, cleans up the mess, returns the furniture to their original positions and blows out the candles. When he's done he heads out the door and goes on a personal mission.


	9. Thursday Morning

Maggie wakes to the sound of birds singing right outside her window. She cracks an eye open and sees that the sun is only just starting to come over the horizon. She stretches and yawns, wiggling around the empty bed trying to get comfortable again so she can go back to sleep. But after a few minutes, she realizes it's no use since her brain has decided to wake up and is currently wondering what to do about a certain tan and black stallion and where the dickens is that husband of hers and what was with those dizzy spells yesterday. With a groan, she drags herself out of bed and into the bathroom.

A quick glance in the bathtub shows that Abe is not there. With a disappointed sigh, she sits at her vanity and begins to brush the fright wig on her head better known as her hair. Grabbing a handful of auburn locks, she starts to drag the brush through the knots that snarl her tresses. She's so intent on her task that she doesn't hear the door quietly open.

She jumps a good six inches out of her seat and lets out a startled shriek when a blue webbed hand steals the brush out of her hand. She places one hand on her chest and grabs hold of the table in front of her as she tries to get her rapidly pounding heart and jagged breath under control. After she finally regains something that might resemble composure, she turns and glares at the culprit. Abe stands there with a poorly concealed smile on his face.

"I swear I'm going to put bells on you so you can't sneak up on me like that," she growls.

"Tying bells around my neck would interfere with my gills and get in the way of my respirator," he points out as he leans against the vanity.

"Who said I was going to tie them around your neck?" she asks with a cocked eyebrow and a poorly concealed leer playing across her face. She starts to run a hand up the inside of his thigh. "I was thinking of someplace," her hand stops at the top of the thigh and gently squeezes, "lower."

"Really?" he asks, his voice dropping an octave. "How much lower?"

"A lot lower," she answers just as huskily, sliding her hand up into his crotch and gently stroking the tightly restrained bulge there.

Without another word, he drops the brush onto the vanity, grabs her face in his hands and kisses her passionately. She hungrily returns his kiss and her hands start to work their way around his respirator. She clumsily removes the apparatus as his lips start to work their way down her neck.

As soon as the last piece is removed and placed on the vanity, he pulls her to her feet, knocking the seat over and he starts to part pull, part push her towards the bedroom. She willing goes as her fingers start to work the buckles loose on his top. All the while, their lips explore each others skin and their hands caress whatever can be reached. By the time they reach the bed, the only thing left on him is his shorts.

Within seconds, the shorts are gone leaving only two naked bodies twined around one another on the bed. He rubs a thumb over a hardened nipple and she moans into his mouth as she arches into his hand. Her hand runs down his back, across his hip and grabs hold of his erection. He groans into the ear he's just started nibbling on.

She rolls onto her back and using her arms and legs, positions him on top of her. He tortures her by refusing to enter her and instead starts to nibble on one of her nipples. Her whimpers of frustration and readiness fill the room as he continues to torment her. Then he starts kissing his way to the previously ignored nipple. She releases a moan as he takes the bud into his mouth and starts to lick and suck on it while his hands caress the rest of her body. Shortly, she rubs her hands over his head, down his neck and ever so gently, she caresses his gills.

Uttering a growl/moan of his own, he claims her lips with his own and slides into her. Her moistness makes it so easy to slide in and out of her as he drives his hardness into her. It's like hot, wet velvet as he pumps faster and faster, losing himself in her heated core of pleasure. She grabs his hips as she matches his thrusts and she brings her knees up to allow him deeper penetration. Her cries fill the room as suddenly her walls contract around him, with one final thrust he loses all control and they merge into one being again.

A short eternity later, the world slowly comes back into focus. She's lovingly stroking his back and he's unconsciously making happy noises as he nestles into her soft hair. She quietly chuckles and he leans back. He tilts his head as he looks at her.

"You're purring," she giggles. "It's cute."

He snorts and then buries his face into the hair next to her neck. His sense of smell isn't the greatest, but she smells like the wind blowing over a recently rained on field after a long dry spell. He would like nothing better than to spend the rest of his life right here, however, her stomach has other ideas. He can feel it rumbling against his own which, in turn, seems to cause his own belly to complain about how empty it is.

With a regretful sigh, he backs off of her and crawls out of bed. With something between a whimper and a moan, she slowly follows suit. After managing to find all of his attire, he redresses. When he's done, he goes into the closet to find Maggie standing in front of her dresser staring at a drawer of undergarments.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

A few moments later she finally looks at him with a bit of a dazed look. She blinks at him a couple of time before his question finally registers in her brain.

"I'm very tired," she answers. "I keep getting ravaged by some incredible blue sex god."

"I could stop, if you like," he suggests.

"You do and I'll never speak to you again," she threatens, narrowing her eyes.

He chuckles as he walks over to her, pulls a couple of items out of the drawer and hands them to her.

"You get dressed and I'll make us some breakfast," he offers as he kisses her on the head.

"Ok," she responds. "It'll probably be a while before I can make it downstairs. I still need to brush my hair out."

"That's fine," he replies as he turns and leaves.

Several minutes later, she finally emerges from the closet fully dressed in jeans, t-shirt and work boots. She heads back into the bathroom and starts to work on her hair again. About ten minutes later, she enters the kitchen with her hair pulled up into a pony tail. She stops dead in her tracks as he puts two plates with several pancakes each onto the table.

"Cereal would have been fine," she states in shock.

"I know, but you did say I could cook from now on," he replies. "Besides, after this week is over, how often will I get a chance to cook for you?"

She can feel her stomach tie itself into a knot and her heart sink to the vicinity of the basement. Suddenly, food is the furthest from her mind and she turns to leave. He takes two long steps towards her and then pulls her into his arms.

"Come back with me," he whispers into hair. "Please."

"I can't," she groans miserably into his chest. "I can't just leave my life."

"Why not?" he asks.

"I have responsibilities," she answers. "The ranch…"

"Runs just fine under Helen's care," he reminds her.

"What about Magick?" she counters. "There are only two people that I know of that can get near him and they're both standing in this room. And what about the new horse? I can't just leave Helen to handle him by herself."

"Maybe we could convince Manning to let you build a place for Magick back at the bureau," he suggests.

"I've already asked," she replies. "It's a little hard to convince the world a sanitation plant would have a horse as a mascot. Especially a mascot that no one can touch. Stay with me."

"You know I can't," he replies.

"Why not?" she asks. "If you can stay for a week, why not forever?"

"Because, sooner or later, someone is going to spot me," he points out. "And then all hell will break loose."

They stand there for several minutes in shared misery, holding each other, both wishing there was a way for them to be together permanently. Finally, Abe pulls back, places a finger under her chin and makes her look up at him.

"Breakfast is getting cold," he states.

"I'm not very hungry," she mumbles, not able to look him fully in the eyes.

"You're not skipping any more meals," he replies sternly.

With a resigned sigh, she lets him lead her over to the table. They sit and eat in silence, neither one know what to say or do to ease the tension. After eating about half of her meal, Maggie can't take it any more and gets up from the table, heading for the hallway.

"I need to go check on the new horse," she states just before she exits. "I should be back around lunch. Leave the dishes, I'll clean them later." He opens his mouth and she interrupts him with a raised hand. "And, yes, I know. No horseback riding while I'm pregnant."

She leaves the room, makes a quick stop in the bathroom to brush her teeth and then heads out the front door. He just watches her go, knowing that there's no point in trying to convince her to return to the BPRD. They've been having this pointless conversation for the past six months, and they still haven't gotten anywhere.

With a sigh, he clears the table, scrapes the scraps into the garbage and puts the dishes into the sink. He decides that a swim might help him clear his brain and get a new perspective on the problem. So he heads to the pond after making sure there's no one about, strips down to his shorts and dives into the blessedly cool water.

Meanwhile, Maggie has reached the quarantine pen. The stallion still looks a bit shaky, but he's no longer leaning on the fence. He looks at her and lays his ears along his neck as he gives an angry snort. She stays back a few feet from the fence and sees Helen come out of one of the other barns and heads towards her.

"Great news," Helen calls. "He ate all of the oats and apple mixture, plus the hay and alfalfa that you dumped in the wheelbarrow is gone."

"That's wonderful," Maggie responds, relief filling every fiber of her being. "How much has he had to drink?"

"The trough was half drained when I came out this morning," Helen answers. "And it looks like he's had a bit more."

"Good," Maggie states. "Have you called Dr. Tambor and told him?"

"Yes," Helen replies. "He says we should have the results of the tests by tomorrow."

"I'm glad to hear that," Maggie responds. "Now, if we could just convince this guy to let us get near him."

"I wouldn't count on that yet," Helen states. "When I went to fill his water trough and feed him breakfast, he tried to bite me several times. Good thing I've had plenty of practice dealing with Magick to keep from getting bit."

"He needs to stay here for a while anyways," Maggie replies. "Maybe after his quarantine is up, he'll have learned to trust us enough to let us near him."

"With you working with him, anything is possible," Helen proclaims.

Maggie looks at her in shock.

"Why do you say that?" she asks.

"Because I've seen you take totally wild animals and had them eating out of your hands within a month," Helen tells her. "I don't know what type of magic spell you weave on these animals, but you've worked miracles before and you'll do it again. I have faith in you."

"Thank you, Helen," Maggie mutters, not at all as confident in herself as Helen is. "I'm going to go work with Magick for a while if you need me."

With that Maggie beats a hasty retreat to Magick's barn. Once inside, she leans against the door and hangs her head. What is she going to do? Pregnancy always throws a Mage's powers out of whack for the first few months. She has plenty of evidence of that from yesterday when she tried to get rid of those weeds. Though the dizzy spells tossed her for a loop and she's still not sure what they were all about.

Pushing herself off of the door, she grabs a lunge line and halter out of the tack room and heads for Magick's stall. He greets her with a knicker as she reaches the stall door. He comes up to her and she spends the next several minutes just petting and scratching him.

"What am I going to do, boy?" she asks the horse in a whisper. "What good am I without my powers?"

With a resigned sigh, she puts the halter on Magick and then attaches the lunge line. She leads him out of the barn and into one of the more open paddocks. For the next half hour she puts the stallion through his paces and gives him a good solid workout. After she gets him cooled off, she gives him a bath and then grooms him until he shines.

By the time she's done, she's hot, dirty, sweaty and hungry and more than ready to head back up the hill. She goes to find Helen and discovers that without her powers, it actually takes quite a bit of time to finally find the ranch manager. She lets Helen know that she's headed back to the house. Then she leaves with Helen's suggestive comments about what, or more precisely who, to have for lunch ringing in her ears and the feeling that her cheeks are about to burn right off of her face as she trudges up the hill.

When she finally gets home, she goes to the kitchen door, takes off her boots, leaves them on the step and then heads inside to the empty house. After quickly washing her hands, she makes herself a sandwich and heads upstairs. Between bites, she starts the shower and strips. As she pops the last of her meal into her mouth, the hot water finally reaches the tap.

She hurriedly gets clean and then gets out, half disappointed and half relieved that Abe didn't join her. After getting dressed and combing her hair out, she lies down on the bed, stares at the ceiling and tries to figure things out.

Without her powers, how is she going to be able to handle the new horse? What is she going to do when Abe goes back to the bureau? How is she going to handle being pregnant and, essentially, alone? How is she going to deal being the mother of twins?

With a sigh, she rolls onto her side, curls into a ball and closes her eyes. Within a few minutes, she's sound asleep.

* * *

A/N – I know that this chapter is a bit shorter than normal, but this just seemed to be a good place to stop. Don't forget, reviews really make my day so please do so. 


	10. Thursday Afternoon

Abe wakes to a grumbling stomach and is rather startled that he fell asleep. He came out to the pond to try and think things out, not to take a nap. He looks up and notices by the length of the shadows cast upon the water it's probably mid-afternoon. Maggie should be back by now and possibly wondering where he is.

A few moments later, he's near the shore and checking to make sure that the area is clear of prying eyes. After ascertaining that the area is deserted, he leaves the water and dresses. He quickly trots up to the house and lets himself in.

His stomach growls again so he heads for the kitchen. He quickly eats a few rotten eggs and then goes looking for something else to eat. Turning around, he sees the makings for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich lying on the counter. He picks up the knife and 'sees' Maggie making herself a pb&j. Curious as to what the big fuss is about these things, he makes one for himself. He takes his first bite and is mildly surprised to how good it is.

After completing his lunch and putting away the sandwich makings, he heads upstairs to the master bedroom. There he finds Maggie sound asleep on the bed. He quietly sneaks past bed into the bathroom and brushes his teeth. When he's done with that task, he returns to the bedroom and watches his wife as she lies resting.

She's curled into a fetal position on the far side of the bed with her back to him. He carefully crawls onto the bed, trying not to wake her. He lies down near her with his head propped up onto his hand and watches her sleeping form. Her hair is fanned out over her pillow and he can't resist.

He starts to stroke the soft silky strands, reveling in the feel. Since he has no body hair of his own, hers fascinates him. He's so focused on the tactile pleasure of touching her hair that he nearly jumps right out of his scales and lets out a startled yelp when a hand touches his hip.

With a rapidly pounding heart, he looks down on her and sees her quietly laughing. Her eyes are squeezed shut, a huge smile is plastered to her face, her arms now pulled to her chest and she's pulling herself into a tighter ball as her body shakes with mirth.

Snaking an arm around her waist, he pulls her flush with his chest. Her body continues to vibrate as he buries his face into her neck. He finds the large muscle group on the side of her neck and bites down hard enough to leave a mark but not hard enough to truly hurt, eliciting a gasp of surprise from her.

He feels her body shudder as he begins to kiss the mark he's left on her. She arches her neck to allow him easier access as her breathing becomes heavier. The hand around her waist pulls her shirt loose of her shorts and sneaks up under the material. She mewls like a kitten when his fingers brush against her nipple through the material of her bra as one of her hands reaches out and grabs his hip, pulling him closer to her.

With deft fingers, he loosens the binding garment and then gently pushes the cups aside, freeing her breasts from their confinement. The mewling turns into groans as she grinds her hips back into him. The friction is causing him to become very aroused which in turn is making wearing shorts very uncomfortable.

He tries to pull away and suddenly finds himself flat on his back with a very horny wife sitting on top of him. He blinks the nictitating membranes a couple of times in surprise and by the time he recovers from the shock, his respirator is gone and she's got his top half way off.

Without warning, he sits up causing her to fall backwards onto his legs. She quickly recovers and sits up in his lap with her legs wrapped around his hips. She goes back to her task of removing his top and he doesn't stop her.

As soon as the garment is removed, she flips it over the side of the bed. Once it disappears, he grabs the bottom edge of her shirt and pulls it over her head as she holds her arms up to let him divest her of it. Her bra hangs loosely from her shoulders and he pushes the straps off once her arms come down.

The instant the bra passes her fingers; she reaches up and starts to lovingly touch his face. He closes both sets of eye lids while fully enjoying the touch of the woman he loves. He feels her pull he head down and then her lips on his.

He gladly returns the kiss and soon it deepens with their tongues exploring every inch of each other's mouths. He encircles her torso with his arms drawing her bare chest to his as one of her hands holds the back of his head and the other snakes around the back of his neck mindful of the gills.

He can feel her body shaking with anticipation and he's reminded once more that he's still wearing those damnable shorts. He shifts uncomfortably underneath her and she breaks off the kiss. She looks at him questioningly for a moment and then smiles knowingly.

Swinging her legs back underneath her to support her own weight, she gently pushes him back onto the bed. Once he's on his back again, she leans over him, resting her weight on her hands as her hair creating a reddish-brown curtain around them.

She gently kisses his lips as his hands become tangled in her hair and then she starts to work her way down his chin, neck, chest and stomach. The kisses are slow, gentle and loving as she carefully works her way down to the top of his shorts. Once she reaches the top of the now extremely too tight shorts, she runs the tip of her tongue along the skin just above the material from one side to the other.

He lets out a groan that he's fairly sure they can hear back at the bureau as her fingers finally find the zipper to the torturous clothing he's still wearing. She releases the zipper, moves over to one side, grabs the top of the shorts and then starts trying to peel them off of him. He lifts his hips to help facilitate her actions and soon the shorts are down to his knees. She stops pulling, he watches as she stands on the bed and then she grabs the shorts once more. With an almighty heave, she yanks the annoying shorts off of him forcing his legs to stick straight up into the air.

She stands there staring at him with his legs waving in the air not even bothering to hide her smile. As quick as a thought, he sits up, grabs her making her shriek in surprise, drags her back down onto the bed and pins her underneath him causing the bed springs to squeak in protest all the violent movements. She laughs as he lets out a playful growl and then starts passionately kissing her.

The laughter is quickly replaced with moans as hands begin to wander over all exposed skin. One of his hands comes in contact with her shorts and an evil thought creeps into his blue head. He starts to work his lips down her front just as slowly, gently and lovingly as she did to him.

However, unlike her, once he's past the collar bone, he makes a detour to one of her breasts. At a torturously slow pace, his lips work their way down the soft flesh until they find the hardened pink flesh all the while her breath is coming in ragged gasps. He gently takes the nipple into his mouth and licks it, tracing circles around it with the tip of his tongue as she arches into him.

As he's lavishing his attention on her nipple, his hand sneaks down to her shorts and quickly undoes the snap and zipper. Despite his diversionary tactic, she still notices him trying to remove the last bit of clothing she's wearing. She lifts her hips in order to help but he ignores it for a minute.

Getting frustrated, she reaches for the loosened clothing and starts trying to push them off of her. He stops her, pulls himself into a kneeling position, grabs the top of the shorts and yanks them and her panties off, sending her legs straight up into the air. She's not surprised he's done this and as she starts to lower her legs he grabs them.

He scoots around so that his knees are on either side of her hips and positions her heels against his chest just below his shoulders. Wrapping one arm around her shins to keep her legs in place, he grabs his erection with his other hand and carefully guides it into her heated center. He leans over, resting his weight on his hands and nearly folding her in half.

She gasps and grabs hold of his arms as her eyes roll back into her head at the new sensations this angle is creating. With the deft movements of his hips, she pants and cries out with each thrust. The intense feelings are overwhelming and she's not sure how long she can last. It feels so incredibly good as he increases his pace and she quickly finds her self racing for the edge.

He watches her face filled with exquisite pleasure as he pulls in and out of her hot wet core. He wants to reach for her but he doesn't want to stop. He moves faster as he senses her climax coming.

"**OH MY GOD! ABE!"** she screams as all of her senses explode and he gives one final hard thrust while her body convulses with the orgasm.

He pushes her legs which seem to now have the consistency wet noodles instead of bones and muscles to either side of his body and lies on top of her keeping most of his weight on his arms. He absorbs the heat rising from her body as a thin sheen of sweat covers her and her breathing slowly returns to normal.

Her eyes are still closed when he starts to gently kiss her. She manages to crack open one eye and stare at him. He suddenly feels her muscles contract around his penis and he nearly pulls out in surprise. A smile creeps across her face as she quietly chuckles.

"I'm supposed to do Kegel exercises aren't I?" she rasps, her voice hoarse from all the recent activities as she opens her other eye.

"Are you ready for more?" he asks while he slides back in place.

"No," she responds, gently stroking his face. "But I'm sure that's something we can work on."

She pulls him closer and their lips meet in a loving kiss that slowly turns into something more. His hands slide over her damp skin, finding those two pleasure spots on her front causing another gasp to escape her mouth. She quickly turns her attention to the side of his neck and starts to kiss and lick his gills, getting something between a moan and a growl resonating from his chest.

She pushes her hips forward and he responds in kind. Starting slowly, he begins to rock back and forth reveling in the delightful feel of her. Little mews fill the room as her body responds to his attentions and she can feel the pressure building again.

He picks up the pace as the mews turns to moans. The feel of her, the taste of her, the smell of her, the look of her and the sound of her fill up every part of his being. He starts driving into her harder and faster as he feels his scrotum start to tighten and her cries echo off the walls pushing him closer to the edge. A few strokes later, she convulses as she screams his name and he thrusts into her one final time, shouting her name.

An eternity later, he pulls back from her and looks lovingly at her still flushed face. Her eyes are closed and a look of pure bliss is on her glowing face. He gently brushes back a few strands of sweat soaked hair from her face as he gazes on his angel.

He thinks back over the last several minutes and a memory pops up that has him chuckling. She cracks open another eye and looks at him with a raised eyebrow. He buries his face in her hair as laughter continues to shake his body.

"What's so funny?" she asks, her voice still harsh from their recent activities.

"You swore," he answers after he finally manages to get himself under control.

"I swore what?" she queries in confusion as her other eye opens.

"You cursed," he clarifies.

"I did not!" she states emphatically while she tries to push him back.

"Yes, you did," he counters as he sits back a little to look her in the face. "You said, 'Oh my god.' Rather loudly too, I might add."

She stares at him for a good minute and then the memory of what she did yell at the top of her lungs comes to her. He tries desperately not to laugh as her eyes get really big, her face turns a lovely shade of red, her hand covers her mouth and she tries to disappear into the mattress. She glares at him as his body quakes with suppressed laughter.

"This isn't funny," she hisses as she casts panicked looks around the room.

"Your grandmother isn't going to pop out of the closet to come wash your mouth out with soap," he states, trying to calm her as she starts to panic.

"Says you," she replies, nearly hysterical.

He grabs her face in both of his hands and forces her to look at him. Her memories flood his mind and he understands her fears. He forces himself to block out the images threatening to overwhelm him.

He can feel her body shivering underneath him and he gently kisses her while stroking her hair. He sends her reassuring thoughts as he tries to still her fears. An eternity later, she lies still underneath him and he finally pulls back and looks at her.

"Are you alright?" he asks quietly.

"I think so," she whispers as she holds him tighter, burying her face into his chest. A few minutes later she continues with a muffled voice since her cheek is still pressed against his chest. "Silly, isn't it? Here I am, a full grown woman, married, even pregnant and I'm still afraid that my grandmother is going to pop out of no where to wash my mouth out with soap for swearing. Pretty pathetic."

"Old fears die the hardest," he comforts. "And you aren't pathetic."

With a sigh, she releases him and pushes him back. He steals a kiss before he rolls off of her and lies down next to her. She tucks her head under his chin, presses her body against his and gently runs her hands over his chest, still damp from her perspiration. A little while later, she leans her head back and tenderly kisses him.

"Go get wet," she tells him as she pulls away. "I'll go clean the kitchen."

He nods his agreement as he carefully gets out of the bed and heads for the bathroom. She can hear the water starting to run as she finds her discarded clothing plus the socks and shoes she got out earlier but never put on. As soon as she's dressed, she finds his gear, collects it and puts it neatly on the counter near the tub.

She spares a quick glance into the tub to see Abe in there soaking while the jets keep oxygen in the water. She heads downstairs and into the kitchen. Once there, she starts with first putting away the clean dishes and then taking care of the dirty ones.

After that task is completed, she notices that it's getting close to dinner time. Grabbing a basket, she heads out the kitchen door to the vegetable garden. She fills the basket and returns to the house.

When Abe finally makes it down into the kitchen, he finds Maggie sitting at the kitchen table shelling peas. He also notices various ingredients sitting on the counter next to an open cook book. He takes a closer look and matches the recipe with the ingredients sitting on the counter next to it.

"I take it you're making a request," he states.

"I've never been able to get that recipe to come out quite right," she replies without looking up. "I'm not sure if it's me or the recipe itself, so I thought I'd let you have a go at it. I hope you don't mind."

"No, I don't mind," he responds as he comes over to her and plants a quick kiss on the top of her head. "Where's the cilantro?"

"That one," she answers, pointing at one of the hanging plants. "Just pinch off a couple of sprigs."

He goes to the plant indicated and carefully removes two springs. He takes a good look at the rest of the plants either hanging from the ceiling or sitting on the window sills.

"They're all herbs," he states.

"Hmm?" she mutters, finally pulling her attention away from her task. "Where else would I keep my herb garden?"

"I thought you didn't like to cook," he gently teases.

"I don't, but that doesn't mean I don't like fresh herbs when I do get up the courage to face the stove," she replies.

He nods his understanding and then goes to start dinner. They work mostly in comfortable silence as they both prepare for dinner. They move in a quiet dance as the table is set, salad and dinner are made and then they finally sit down to eat.

Just as Maggie is about to take her first bite of stuffed bell pepper, the peace is shattered by someone banging on the kitchen door. In a heartbeat, Abe is out of his seat and on the floor hiding behind one of the kitchen cabinets. Maggie sets down her fork and crosses the kitchen and opens the door. Standing before her is Helen who's slightly out of breath, flushed and small beads of sweat standing out on her brow.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your dinner, Miss Cavendish," Helen starts. "But Magick's gotten out and he's gone after the buckskin."


	11. Thursday Evening

**A/N**- Sorry this has taken so long, but life is what happens when you're making other plans. In no shape way or form do I EVER recommend anyone coming between two battling stallions. They should only be handled by professionals. With that said, on with the story and please enjoy.

* * *

"Damn!" Maggie swears under her breath.

Helen wisely moves to the side as Maggie takes a running start and leaps off of the top step easily clearing the few steps of the stairs and hits the ground running. She tears down the hill with Helen on her heels as suddenly horrible worry enters her thoughts.

"Helen, where are your kids?" Maggie yells over her shoulder as she skids through a turn.

"I had Doug take them into the house," she pants back. "He's calling Dr. Tambor and having him bring tranquilizer darts for both horses."

Maggie nods that she heard and understood as her fear pushes her to run faster. Long before she can see them, she can hear the squeals and screams of anger from the two stallions even above the barking of the dogs in the kennels. Heedless to anything else, the two women run full tilt towards the sounds of the angry horses.

They come around the final building and come upon a scene that nearly stops their hearts. A section of the quarantine fence has been partially crushed under the weight of the two battling animals leaving pieces of jagged wood sticking out ready to tear into tender horse flesh. Fortunately, the damage isn't bad enough to allow Magick to get into the corral or for the buckskin to get out.

With another squeal of anger, both stallions rear and crash their bodies together causing the fence to crack and groan under the stress. The impact of the two massive bodies can almost be felt through the ground as Magick sinks his bared teeth into the shoulder of the smaller horse. The buckskin screams in pain, breaks away and tries to make his escape to the other side of the corral as blood starts to seep down his leg.

Both horses sport wounds created by sharp hooves and even sharper teeth, but the buckskin has taken the worst of the beatings. He's noticeably limping while he heads to the other side of his pen. Unfortunately, Magick isn't ready to give up the fight as he trots around the outside of the fence looking for another opening.

"**MAGICK! NO!"** Maggie screams as she runs towards the very angry horse.

Not the smartest move in the world, she knows, but it's vital to get these animals separated before serious damage is done to either one of them. Magick ignores her as he screams out another challenge to the new comer. The buckskin snorts his reply as he does his best to stay as far away from the horse that's at least a hand taller than him.

"**MAGICK! STAND!"** Maggie orders.

The only response the Andalusian gives a flick of an ear and a snort as he continues to circle the corral trying to figure out how to get to the other stallion. The buckskin knows he can't win so he stays in the center, safely away from the fence and the royally pissed off Magick.

Maggie trots alongside Magick, hoping to catch hold of his halter and stop him. With one deft move, he shoulders her aside pushing her to the ground. Undaunted, she stands, quickly brushes herself off and goes to stand in his path with her arms out. He simply brushes past her and this time he pins her between himself and the fence. He causes bruises and scrapes with his action, but fortunately no broken bones. As he's finishes passing her, he adds insult to injury by slapping her in the face with his tail.

Finally realizing he can't reach the other stallion from outside the fence, Magick heads for the damaged section. Rearing up, he starts to throw his body against the weakened area causing the wood to splinter more. The broken wood is tearing through his hide, but this doesn't stop the enraged animal. The buckskin seeing this as an attack on his turf charges straight for Magick.

Again, there's a squeal of anger when they rear and crash together as teeth and hooves come into play. Maggie watches helplessly as the two stallions fight for dominance knowing that there's nothing she can do to stop them and fearing that one or both of them may become permanently harmed.

"_**STOP!"**_

Both Maggie and Helen jump a good foot into the air as the commanding voice resonates through the air. Both horses come down with a resounding thud and stand there, stunned.

Both women wildly look around for the source of the voice and then Maggie hears Helen gasp. With a quick glance at her employee, Maggie turns her eyes in the direction that Helen's looking and her heart nearly stops as Abe steps out of the shadows.

Abe doesn't look at either woman as he walks past first Helen and then Maggie. He keeps those incredible blue eyes transfixed on the two stallions that are currently standing frozen in place with muscles taut. He steps up to the animals and places a bare hand on each of their foreheads and both horses visibly relax to the point that they look like they're nearly asleep.

"Maggie, come and get Magick, please," Abe requests quietly.

Maggie starts towards him but only gets a few steps when she's yanked around to face Helen.

"Miss Cavendish, don't go near that…that…," she starts to warn.

"_That_ is Abe," Maggie quietly reassures Helen as she gently pulls Helen's hand off of her arm.

Maggie turns back towards Abe and the horses and quickly covers the distance between them. She carefully and firmly takes a hold of Magick's halter and gently pulls the now docile horse towards his barn while Abe turns his full attention onto the buckskin. As she walks past Helen, she notices the ranch manager's eyes are about the size of dinner plates and her jaw is in the vicinity of her bellybutton. It would be comical if the situation wasn't so serious.

About half way back to the barn, Maggie starts to relax a little, thankful that Abe was here to stop the two stallions. Without warning, Magick throws his head up and back, yanking Maggie's arm nearly out of its socket. She barely manages to hang on and tries to grab hold of the halter with her other hand. He continues to throw and shake his head as he starts trying to pull back as well. She desperately tries to hold on to the aggravated animal as he continues to fight her. Suddenly, he leaps forward slamming his shoulder into her and forcefully pushing her into a nearby fence, knocking the wind out of her and stunning her.

Magick rips the halter out of her now lax fingers and charges back the way they came while she barely remains standing as the pain courses through her body. The only sound she can hear is the blood rushing through her ears and her vision is now blurred.

Someone grabs her and she tries to look at that person. She still can't see straight, but she assumes that it's Helen holding her since she doesn't see any blue. She gladly leans on the ranch manager as her body shakes from the pain and she tries to catch her breath.

Meanwhile, Magick gallops back towards Abe and the buckskin ready to stomp anyone in his way into the ground. Abe is so absorbed in working with smaller horse that he almost misses the ground vibrating and the sound of thundering hooves. He barely manages to escape flying hooves as the stallion rears up and then drives his hooves straight into the ground where Abe was standing only seconds before.

Quick as a thought, Abe reaches out and grabs Magick's halter before the horse has a chance to move and forces the angry animal to calm down. While his concentration is now on Magick, the buckskin comes out of his reverie and makes his move.

With ears back and teeth bared, his head snakes out and he soundly bites Magick on the neck. Magick squeals in pain and surprise, pulling away from the teeth embedded in his neck and Abe. He takes a few steps away, turns and then gets ready to renew his attack on the interloper.

"**_STOP!"_** Abe orders again.

Both horses become momentarily stunned by the order, giving Abe just enough time to grab Magick's halter and start pulling him away from the buckskin. Keeping one hand firmly on the halter and the other on the animal's forehead, Abe leads the large animal back the way Maggie had been heading. When he reaches Maggie and Helen, he stops but tightens his hold on Magick.

"Maggie, are you alright?" he asks.

"Yea," she manages to answer. "He just knocked me for a loop."

She reaches out and grabs the other side of the halter with both hands before she starts to walk rather unsteadily towards the barn. After several feet, her steps become surer but Abe watches her with concern as they walk.

They finally make it to Magick's barn without further incident. They're able to see the corral behind the barn and they notice the broken fence slats where Magick broke out.

Maggie carefully lets go of the halter and goes to open the doors to the building. She goes in first and closes and locks the door that leads from his stall into the corral behind. After she leaves the stall, Abe leads the still docile horse into his stall. He turns Magick around so that he's near the stall door before he lets go. Once he releases the stallion, he quickly exits the enclosure and Maggie closes and secures the door behind him.

No sooner does she step away then Magick comes back to his senses. With an angry squeal, he starts kicking and throwing himself against the door to his stall. With a sigh, Maggie turns off the overhead light, walks out of the barn and securely closes the doors behind her with Abe in her wake.

"Shouldn't I take a look at his wounds first?" Abe asks, staring at the doors.

"No," she answers with a shake of her head. "The vet will be here soon and he'll take care of them. Head up to the house, I need to go talk to Helen."

"Are you sure?" he questions.

"Abe, it's bad enough you let Helen see you, but there's no way I'm letting Dr. Tambor see you too," she states. "Manning's going to have several litters worth of kittens if he finds out about this. Now please go, I'll be up as soon as I can."

With a reluctant nod, Abe kisses her gently and then heads back up the hill. Not sure what she's going tell Helen, she heads back towards the quarantine corral on the other side of the property. By the time she gets there, Dr. Tambor is just getting out of his car with the tranquilizer dart gun case in his hand. Helen comes up beside her and she turns to her employee.

"Do NOT mention Abe to Dr. Tambor," she orders quietly. "I'll answer any questions you have later, but he must not find out about Abe."

Helen just nods her response as the doctor walks up to them.

"Evening, ladies," the doctor greets. "Doug called and said you had a couple of stallions going at it."

"We did, but we managed to get them separated," Maggie replies. "They've both taken some serious damage though, so your services are still very much needed."

"Who got the worst of it?" he asks.

"The buckskin looked pretty bad," she answers.

"Ok, let me grab my bag and then we'll get to work," he states before heading back to his car.

He comes back with his black bag in one hand and the small gun case in the other. They walk over to the corral and watch the stallion standing in the middle of the pen. His eyes are glazed over in pain and blood is still oozing out of various wounds over his body, mostly on his neck and shoulders.

The vet easily sedates the animal and several minutes later when the sedative has done its job, he enters the pen. He spends the next half hour or so cleaning and stitching up the wounds. When he's finally done he comes out and heads for the office which is right next to the corral. After he's done cleaning up, Maggie leads him towards the other side of the ranch to Magick's barn.

Once the go inside, Magick snorts and lets out a squeal of anger. Without so much as batting an eye, the doctor waits for Magick to turn in just the right way before shooting him with the tranquilizer dart.

After the sedative takes effect, Tambor goes in and does a repeat performance on Magick's wounds. This time, however, he's done in a little over fifteen minutes. When he's done, he exits the stall, pulls a pad of paper out of his bag, writes something on it and then hands the top sheet to Maggie.

"That's a prescription for antibiotics," he tells her. "I've given you extra refills since your going to have to give them to both the horses. I've given them both a shot, so you won't need to get them until tomorrow. You do realize that Magick is now under quarantine?"

"Yes, I know," Maggie responds with a sigh. "Thank you, doctor. I'll get this filled in the morning."

"Well, if you ladies don't need me for anything else, I'm going to head home," he states.

"Thank you, doctor, I think we're good for now," Maggie replies.

Tambor nods, leaves the barn and then heads for his car. Maggie and Helen follow him out of the barn and watch him go.

"I'll pick up a chain and lock for the barn tomorrow when I go to get the pills and I'll be the only one who goes in there to take care of Magick," Maggie states. "By the end of the quarantine, he's going to be darn near impossible to work with and I don't want to chance any one getting hurt. I'm leaving the buckskin in your care. Would you be kind enough to make up a quarantine sign for the barn door, please?"

"Yea, sure," Helen finally manages to utter.

"Why was he in his corral instead of his stall?" Maggie asks.

"He didn't want to go in after I put food out for him," Helen answers. "If I had known what he was up to, I would have tried harder to get him to go in."

"And would have gotten yourself bit," Maggie points out. "As much as I love Magick, your safety is more important."

"Thanks," Helen whispers.

Maggie nods and they stand there for several more minutes watching nothing in particular. They both wait for the other to broach a subject neither one exactly knows how to deal with.

"Why don't you come up to the house with me," Maggie finally suggests, looking at Helen. "I'm sure you have a few million questions you want answered."

"Doug is expecting me back at the house," Helen replies. "We were in the middle of dinner when the fight broke out."

"Go finish your dinner then," Maggie responds. "Why don't you come up for lunch tomorrow?"

"Ok, I'll do that," Helen answers. "I don't know how I'm going to keep this from Doug. We promised never to keep secrets from each other."

With a resigned sigh and the knowledge that a certain bureaucrat would be having an entire herd of cows if he found out, she makes her decision.

"Bring Doug with you," Maggie replies.

"Are you sure about that?" Helen asks in surprise.

"No," Maggie answers. "But a marriage is built on trust and I don't want to be responsible for ruining that with you and Doug."

"We'll see you about noon then," Helen responds. "I'm not sure what I'm going to tell him, but I'll think of something."

"Good," Maggie replies. "I'll see you tomorrow."

With a nod, Helen heads back to her home and family. Maggie watches her go before turning and heading back up the hill. About half way up the hill, another dizzy spell hits forcing her to suddenly grab hold of a tree to keep from falling to the ground.

After her head clears, she can feel her heart pounding against her ribs. Fear propels her up the rest of the way to the house. Before she can touch the first step that leads up to the kitchen door the door flies open and Abe come charging out. She falls into his arms, crying and shaking in fear.

Several minutes later, as her breathing and heart rate return to normal levels, she once again becomes aware of her surroundings. She's back at the kitchen table and sitting in Abe's lap. He's stroking her hair, gently rocking her and saying soothing things into her ear.

"What's wrong with me?" she whispers.

"Nothing that I'm aware of," he answers.

"There has to be something wrong with me," she insists. "Why else would I keep having dizzy spells?"

"The dizzy spells are just your body's not so subtle way of letting you know you've conceived," he replies.

She pulls back, turns and stares at him with eyes about the size of serving platters. He quickly catches onto what the problem is and lays his bare on her lower abdomen. He smiles and she starts to shake again.

"If you're about to tell me that I'm carrying triplets I swear I'll scream," she warns.

"No, you're still only carrying twins," he reassures her as he gently pulls her back. "The last spell was a combination of not eating enough, sudden exercise, an adrenaline rush wearing off and the pregnancy. You should try taking it a little easier now."

"I didn't really have much of a choice there, now did I?" Maggie points out, resting her head on his shoulder.

"No, I guess you didn't," Abe responds. "What happens now with the horses?"

"The vet stitched them up and Magick's now in quarantine," she answers. "I need to go get a prescription filled and get a lock for Magick's barn door. I can't chance someone accidentally going in there and getting bit. Helen and Doug will be coming up for lunch tomorrow to get answers about you."

"I understand Helen, but why her husband?" he asks.

"Because a marriage is built on trust," she repeats. "And you can't have trust if one of the partners is keeping a secret from the other."

"Ah," he responds as her stomach growls its displeasure of missing dinner. "Would you like me to reheat your dinner?"

"Yes, please," she answers.

She slides off of his lap and sits back in her previously empty seat. He grabs her plate off of the table and then he heads for the microwave. A minute later he returns with the reheated food and places it in front of her. She eats her food, lost in thought and barely aware of what it is she's eating.

"Don't you like it?" he asks, sounding a little hurt.

She stares at him for a moment as the question finally filters through all of the thoughts that have chasing one another around for the past few minutes. She blinks a couple of times and then it dawns on her that he's asking about the dinner he made. She takes another bite and actually concentrates on what she's eating.

"It's very good, love," she reassures him. "I'm sorry; I'm just a bit preoccupied."

"I understand," he replies.

He stands back up, clears the table of the left over food and starts to put it away. A few minutes later, as he's putting the last container in the fridge, she finishes her dinner. She joins him by the sink with plate in hand.

"Dinner was very good, sweetheart, thank you," she states just before she kisses him.

"You're welcome," he purrs as he pulls her closer.

She lets out a hiss of pain and he quickly lets her go. He turns her around, pulls her shirt up and gets his first look at the various bruises across her back. With a sigh, he lowers her shirt and rests his head on her shoulder.

"I'm not sure I'm going to be able to handle not being able to hold you," he grumbles.

"You'll be able to hold me, you just have to be careful," she comforts as runs her hand down his face. "Why don't you go relax for a bit and I'll clean up in here?"

"I want to get a closer look at those bruises," he replies.

"In a little bit," she counters. "Let me clean up first, and then you can give me a complete physical."

She ends her words with a smirk that he returns. Without another word, he nods and leaves the room. She watches him go and then turns back to the task at hand. About half an hour later, she finishes wiping down the counters and goes off looking for her husband.

A quick check in the bathroom shows he's not in there so she continues her search. She finds him in the family room sitting in one of the overstuffed chairs with his feet propped up on an ottoman, reading a book and he's turned a lovely shade of dark blue.

"What are you reading?" she asks.

He holds the book up so she can read the cover and she laughs. She goes to the windows and draws the curtains closed. Then she walks over to him, gently pulls 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Amazing Sex' out of his hands and puts it down on a nearby table

"I believe you still need to give me a physical, Doctor," she purrs.

With that said, she reaches for the bottom of her shirt, slowly pulls it over her head and then she seductively finishes undressing in front of him. She didn't think he could get any bluer, but she's wrong. After setting his feet on the ground, he reaches for her with a shaking hand and turns her around.

He gets a very good look at the damage done by Magick and it makes his heart skip a beat. The bruising on her back consists of two wide stripes with one on the back of her shoulders and the other across her lower back. They are already starting to turn a deep shade of purple and the scars leave pale vertical lines through them.

He gently runs his bare hands down her back and stops at her hips, causing her to shiver and goose bumps to form. He lifts his from her hips places them on top of her shoulders just before repeating the process down her arms. The bruises are painful, but superficial and will be gone within a week. There are also scrapes down the back of her arms from being pushed into the fence and on her hands from being shoved to the ground. Again, it's superficial and will heal within a week.

"You're scraped and bruised," he informs her. "Fortunately nothing's broken, but you are going to be sore for the next few days."

She turns and faces him, noticing that he's returned to his normal color and he's not quite looking at her.

"What's wrong?" she quietly asks.

"You could have been seriously hurt," he whispers. "You could have lost the babies. You could have lost your life."

He's now staring at the ottoman and there's a slump to his shoulders. She sits on footrest in front of him and then put her hand under his chin forcing him to look up at her.

"I have been around horses almost all of my life," she tells him. "I have separated stallions before, and while it's not fun, it is doable."

"But you've never tried to separate them without your powers before," he reminds her, hurt, anger and fear all evident in his voice.

"You're right," she sighs. "I had hoped that Magick would be more responsive to my voice. I was wrong. I'm sorry; I never meant to frighten you like that."

"Swear to me that you'll never do that again," he quietly demands.

"I swear I'll never try separating stallions without my powers again," she responds, holding up her right hand.

With a sigh, he nods his acceptance and relaxes back into his chair, closing both sets of eyelids. She sits and watches him for awhile, unconsciously tilting her head like he does when he finds something curious. When he doesn't open his eyes again after several minutes, she figures he's either asleep or meditating. Not wanting to disturb him, she quietly gets up and leaves, her discarded clothes remain on the floor.

She sadly ascends the stairs alone. When she finally reaches her room, she stops and stares at the bed. Despite her recent exertions, she's not really all that tired. She heads for the bathroom and takes a quick shower. After drying off, she gets dressed in an oversized t-shirt and crawls into bed.

Between the bruises and scrapes, finding a comfortable position is pretty much impossible. Even if that wasn't a problem, memories of a certain someone sharing the bed with her flood her mind. Fighting back the tears of self-pity and frustration, she gets up and heads back downstairs.

She walks into the family room and finds it empty of any other sentient beings. His book is still on the table and her clothes remain in a pile on the floor. She doesn't hear the jets of any of the tubs going, so she figures that he must have headed off to the pond for the night.

With a sigh, she turns and heads for her office. Ignoring the books Abe brought, she turns on the computer. Once everything is up and running she starts to do some catching up on business that she's been pretty much ignoring for the past couple of weeks.

She lets herself get caught up in making sure everything in the books is up to date and all the expenses are accounted for. Before long, she's lost in her work as she tunes out the rest of the world.

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

With a scared shriek, she nearly falls out of her seat. When she finally is able to answer, she glares over her shoulder at Abe who's standing in the doorway with his head cocked to the side.

"Because I'm not tired," she snarls back.

She turns back to the computer screen and tries to go back to what she was doing. He comes over to her and pulls her hands away from the keyboard.

"Why are you angry with me?" he asks.

"Because," she growls in frustration, "I was standing in front of you in my birthday suit practically begging you to touch me and you decide to take a nap."

With that, she starts trying to pull her hands free of his grasp. He refuses to let go and she knows there's no way she can overpower him so she ceases her struggles. She just sits there instead, quietly seething.

"I didn't want to hurt you," he quietly states. "And I wasn't taking a nap."

"And of course a few scrapes and bruises leaves me totally incapacitated," she snaps, still hurt. "You might want to call the hospital and have them get a bed in ICU ready for me. Now please let go of me. I have work to do."

He relents and releases her hands. She immediately goes back to work, or at least tries to. She waits for him to leave, but instead he goes over to the book case and selects one of the books he brought with him.

Closing her eyes, she takes several deep breaths to steady her nerves. When she feels she has enough control, she opens her eyes again and concentrates on the screen in front of her. She ignores the merman while she continues her work.

Some time later, she's finally shutting down the computer with a feeling of accomplishment. She spares a brief glace at Abe who's now sitting on the floor in full lotus position as she gets up from her chair and stretches.

"One of the mares has gone into heat," he says from out of the blue causing her to pause mid-stretch.

"I suspected as much," she replies without looking back though she can hear him getting up. "It's called going into season, by the way."

"I'm sorry," he whispers into her ear. "Please forgive me."

"I'll think about it," she replies, the hurt still evident in her voice.

She starts for the door, but before she can get more than a step, he grabs her arm and swings her around to face him. She opens her mouth to protest only to find his lips on hers and his tongue plundering her mouth. She resists for all of two nanoseconds and then she melts into him.

He holds her face in his hands as she returns his kiss with growing passion. He feels her fingers on his respirator and in a matter of moments she has the apparatus off of him, exposing his gills to the cool night air. A few seconds after that, he feels her pulling on his arms and belatedly realizes she's taking his top off.

As she's dropping his top onto the floor, his hands sneak under the hem of her shirt and find the warm soft skin of her stomach. He gently caresses her body, working his way up as she arches into his touch and moans.

All the while, their lips never leave each other until he finally pulls back enough to divest her of her shirt. As soon as the garment is gone her lips are on his throat gently kissing their way down his body and her hands are on his shorts. As her mouth delightfully tortures its way down his torso, her fingers unzip his shorts and then start to slowly peel them off of him.

She slowly sinks down to her knees as the foam neoprene is pulled off of him bit by bit. She finally gets to her knees and the shorts are now down around his ankles as she continues to kiss him down his hip. As soon as her hands leave the shorts, her tongue snakes out and licks the sack hanging under his erection.

He's taken by surprise and he attempts to steps back but ends up falling backwards. By pure good luck, he lands on the large desk chair that Maggie had just recently vacated. He repositions himself in the seat that's still warm from her body and kicks the shorts the rest of the way off.

By the time he's done, she's sitting between his knees, kneeling on the floor. She starts to run her hands up and down his thighs, gently brushing her thumbs past his manhood and sending shivers racing up and down his spine. He grabs hold of the arm rests to try and keep a grip on reality.

"Where've you been?" she asks just before she begins placing kisses just above his knee.

"Huh?" he oh so coherently responds as the kisses start to slowly works their way up his leg.

"You weren't here when I came downstairs," she states as she starts to add licks to the kisses. "Your skin isn't wet so you haven't been in the water. So where were you?"

"Checking on the horses," he manages to gasp out as she blows on a wet spot she's just made on his upper thigh and he's fairly sure that he's leaving permanent finger marks on the chair.

"Why?" she questions as she starts to torture the other leg with the same tactics.

"Making sure they're alright," he whimpers as she gently nips his skin.

"That's why I hired Helen," she states in between her torture methods. "Leave that job to her; you have much better things to concentrate on."

"Such as?" he barely manages to get out.

"Me," she answers rather sternly.

It takes him several seconds to realize that she's stopped touching him. He opens the eyes that he hadn't consciously closed and sees her standing over him with her face only inches from his own. She's upset, but she only wants one thing for him to make it right. Finally letting go of the chair, he reaches one hand out and caresses her face. She closes her eyes and leans into his touch, visibly relaxing.

"You're right," he replies just before he claims her lips.

The passion of that kiss leaves her senses reeling and makes her forget what she had been upset about. He continues to cradle her face with one hand as the other starts to work its way down her body. He gently caresses her breast and rubs a thumb over the nipple causing her to moan into his mouth and her knees to go weak.

His hand finally continues its journey south until it reaches her panties. With a deliberate slowness that he knows is quickly driving her insane; he starts to pull them down. He carefully drags his nails across her heated skin as he gently tugs on the delicate fabric making her whimper with want.

Suddenly, she pulls back, shocking him. She stands up straight and removes the last article of clothing herself. He watches her as she kicks the garment across the room. Before he has time to think about what to do now, she's in the chair with him, straddling his lap and positioning herself over his erection.

She slowly slides down until he's fully sheathed in her body. She closes her eyes and moans as a look of pure pleasure passes over her face. She stays like that for several seconds, enjoying the full feeling he gives her.

She grabs hold of his shoulders for balance as she starts to move up and down his length and he holds onto her backside to give her support. She keeps her eyes closed so she can concentrate on the sensations of their love making. Her moans fill the room and her breath dances across his skin as she starts to pick up the pace.

Her breathe becomes more erratic as she moves faster and faster, his shaft easily sliding in and out of her hot wet center as she pushes herself closer to the edge of oblivion. Suddenly she's leaping off the precipice, screaming his name. She collapses onto him, causing him to be driven even further up into her until the head of his penis is pushing on her cervix. It's a delightful pain that she enjoys as her body finishes shuddering before moving herself into a more comfortable position. With a contented sigh, she rests her head on his chest and listens to his heartbeat.

After about a minute, she notices that his heart rate hasn't really reduced and with a subtle shifting of hips, she notes it's not the only thing that hasn't reduced. She sits back up and looks him in the eye. He stares back for all of two seconds before his mouth hungrily claims hers and she more than willingly succumbs to the passion.

His hands play havoc with her senses as he caresses her breasts and teases her nipples and all the while his lips are exploring her neck and earlobes, quickly driving her to the brink of insanity. She moans as the ember of desire quickly turns into a raging inferno. She starts to try moving up and down again, but her legs are still shaking from her last effort.

Suddenly, he pushes them towards the edge of the seat, puts one arm around her bottom and the other across her back between the bruises. Carefully he stands with her in his arms as she wraps her legs around his hips and her arms cling to his shoulders. She's not sure where he's going, at this point she doesn't rightly care as long as he doesn't let go.

When she feels the wood of the desk under her, she gasps in surprise. She hears him hastily pushing items out of the way and the sound of various items including the keyboard hitting the floor barely registers in her lust filled brain. He positions her on the edge of the desk while spreads his feet far enough apart so that he's at the perfect height. Keeping the one arm around her back he places his other hand against the wall behind the desk to give him stability and a bit of leverage.

As he starts to move in and out of her, it's all she can do to hold onto him so that she doesn't fall off of the desk. She throws her head back making noises that defy description while he continues to pump his erection into her. Her sweat covered body makes it hard for him to hold onto, but he just holds her tighter as her hips match his powerful thrusts.

Her nails dig into the scales on his shoulders as her cries hit a fevered pitch. He starts to move faster as his head falls forward and his gills desperately try to absorb enough oxygen to maintain this activity. He can feel his release coming as a tingling sensation starts at the base of his spine and moves forward to his balls. Just when he's sure he can't take it any more, she explodes with her release and he gladly follows suit.

Blindly, he reaches behind him and fumbles around for the chair. As soon as he makes contact with it, he pulls it over and happily sits down on it, dragging Maggie with him as he goes. Both of their bodies tremble with the exertion and they gladly hold onto each other as something that might resemble control is finally restored to their systems.

Looking down on her beautiful face resting on his shoulder, he gently brushes a few strands of sweat soaked hair from her face. She languidly opens her eyes and looks up at him while a very satisfied smile plays across her lips.

"I think I might need that ICU bed now," she barely manages to get past her very sore throat.

He chuckles as he kisses her forehead and tries to get more comfortable in the seat. He pulls her closer as she closes her eyes and sighs a contented sigh. Several minutes pass and he discovers that he's losing feeling in his legs so he decides to get up.

He looks down at his wife and notices the totally relaxed look and the even breathing. She's sound asleep and he'd rather chew off his own legs than wake her. He carefully repositions her, ever mindful of her bruises, stands and then carries her up to bed.

Once in the bedroom, he gently places her on the bed, face down. After making sure she's as comfortable as possible, he heads for the bathroom. Sleeping in the tub that's more than big enough for her less than five and a half foot length, but way to small for his six plus foot frame is a cramping experience and he wouldn't trade it for the world.


	12. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

**A/N**- 'Mais oui' is French and is pronounced may we. It means a rather emphatic "Oh yes." Warning: I went to great lengths to avoid any plot in this chapter. I hope I succeeded.

* * *

**BOOM**

Maggie nearly jumps out of her skin as she's awakened by the loud crash of thunder. The sound of pouring rain fills the room as another flash of light brightens it. A second later the rolling boom of thunder shakes the windows and Maggie's nerves.

Because of her sensitive hearing, Maggie's never really liked thunderstorms and if she still had control of her powers, she would be 'pushing' this one along its way just like all the rest. Instead she sits up in bed, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs.

She ignores the pain of the scrapes and bruises as she tries to think of pleasant things while the tempest rages outside the windows. Her first thought is of Abe, and her heart nearly stops. She's scared to death of the idea of him being out in the pond during this storm. She shudders again as another flash brightens the room for a second which is quickly followed by another boom. She's sure that addition of fresh water won't bother him, but lightening is attracted to large bodies of water.

"It's alright, love, I'm right here," a soft voice calls from the direction of the bathroom.

The sound of the deluge outside covered the sound of him leaving the tub and walking into the bedroom. While the almost completely dark room makes it nearly impossible to see him, she still looks in the direction that she last heard his voice. A second later the room is lit briefly by lightening and she catches a glimpse of a totally nude Abe walking towards the bed. Her relief is short lived as the thunder that follows makes her shiver again and she hugs her legs closer to her.

"Shh, love, it's alright," he whispers as he sits next to her on the bed and carefully pulls her to him. "It's just a thunderstorm."

She buries her face into his chest and grabs his torso in a nearly bone breaking squeeze. She clings to him like her very life depends on it as her body quakes from another crash of thunder. He lightly runs his hands up and down her back as he tries to think of something that might distract her from her fears. He decides to go with the obvious.

He starts to gently stroke the side of one of her breasts while his lips try to find anything to kiss which is just mostly the top of her head since she still has her face smashed into his pectoral muscles. It takes her a couple of minutes for her to notice what he's doing. He knows the instant she does because the shaking stops and her body becomes very tense. She slowly pulls away and tries to look up at him in the dark.

"Are you trying to seduce me, monsieur?" she asks teasingly.

"Mais oui," he playfully growls back just before his lips claim hers.

A small whimper escapes her throat as the hands that had been clinging to him are now petting and caressing him. His mouth leaves hers as he works his way down her chin, across her jaw until it finds her ear and neck. Meanwhile, his hands are fondling her breasts and teasing her nipples sending her well past the point of reason.

She grabs him and flips him onto his back and manages to get a startled grunt out of him. She climbs on top of his legs as her hands continue to caress him. She moves up a bit as she lies on top of him and kisses him for a few moments before she starts to work her way back down his body. She makes a brief stop at his neck and gently licks the front gills on either side of his neck causing him to shudder and groan.

She slides down a little as she continues her ministrations on his body with her lips and tongue. She doesn't get very far before she runs into something hard. He grabs hold of his erection and holds it in place as she wiggles down on to it. Once he's fully sheathed inside of her, she pushes herself upright.

They bring their hands together and she begins to move up and down, sliding his penis in and out of her core. They both groan in pleasure as she continues to ride him as he helps her maintain her balance. He can see rather well in the low lighting and he watches her as she throws her head back and starts to moan.

His mind goes blank as he revels at the feeling of her hot wet velvet stroking his staff. She suddenly leans forward as she picks up the pace and starts to pant and sweat from the exertion. She pushes herself further and further towards the precipice and all too soon her release comes with an arched back and a cry. She collapses onto his chest and lies there panting.

After waiting for her to come back to reality, he grabs her, flips her over and pulls her to the edge of the bed as he slides off getting a squeak of surprise and a whimper of loss as he pulls out of her. He crouches down in front of her as his lips begin to work their way south over her collar bone and down her chest to one of her breasts, tasting the salt from their latest endeavor. He draws the sweet pink bud into his mouth and starts to lick and suck on it until it completely hardens against his tongue and she's moaning his name.

She looks down to barely see him working his way across her body in a brief flash of light. Several seconds later the thunder rolls by and she's not sure if it's because of that or the fact that he's just taken the previously ignored nipple into his mouth that's causing the shivers to hold races up and down her spine. She quickly feels her arousal rekindling as he continues to lave his attention on that little bundle of nerves.

Just as she sure she's going to totally lose her mind, he lets go of her nipple and reclaims her lips. After several moments of passionate kissing, he works his way over to her neck and ear creating goose bumps as he does.

"Get on your hands and knees," he whispers in her ear.

With a moan, she rolls over and drags herself up onto the position he's requested as he stands up. He carefully positions himself at her entrance and then slides into her eliciting a groan from her. He grabs hold of her hips and starts to move back and forth.

Her skin is so slick from sweat that he has trouble keeping a hold of her and then suddenly it's not a problem any more. With a startled cry, she throws her head back, grabs hands full of bedding and starts pushing back to meet his thrusts. All that is left is the noise of flesh slapping together and their grunts as they drown out the sound of the fading storm.

There is nothing else but them and the feeling of their joining. All that matters is to keep moving, back and forth, in and out, faster and harder, never stopping. He repeatedly slams himself into her, delighting in the friction created by them. She drops her head as she puts all of her concentration and effort into matching his moves.

She feels it coming and she happily races towards her climax. She tries to move faster but a combination of her arms not being that strong and him having a death grip onto her hips keeps that from happening. So she continues to grind into him as best she can.

The force of her slamming back into him nearly knocks him off of his feet, but he manages to maintain his balance as he thrusts into her. Her heat soaks into him causing more blood to head for that area, and at this point, he wouldn't be too surprised if most of his brain cells were down there too.

He can feel himself getting closer to the blessed edge of oblivion. He tightens his hold on her as he pounds into her harder and faster and her louder cries egg him on. All too soon, he can feel her body convulse as she screams out his name and a second later he finds his own release within her as the most intense exchange of memories occurs.

The front half of her body collapses with exhaustion, but the back half remains upright. After about a minute his mind clears enough from the mind blowing experience, he then goes to release her and he can't. After a few moments he realizes that the suction cups on the palm of his hands are attached to her as he tries to pull a hand off.

"OUCH!" she protests. "Abe, what are you doing? That hurt."

"I'm sorry, love," he responds. "Um, I think we have a problem."

"What problem?" she asks, less than amused.

"I'm stuck," is his embarrassed answer.

"Excuse me?" she questions irritably. "How are you stuck?"

"Well, it seems that this last endeavor made you very sweaty, which in turn made you very slippery" he explains. "I was trying to hold onto you and I guess I unconsciously used my suction cups on your hips."

"Which means…?" she prompts.

"I'm stuck," he repeats.

"So?" she growls. "They're your suction cups, just make them let go."

"I can't," he replies and quickly continues before she can respond. "It seems they latched on when they were opened all the way up. I can't get them any wider to make them let go."

She half kneels half lies there rather uncomfortably for several moments digesting this news. Here body already aches from the abuse it received earlier and now the suction cups are starting to pinch. All of that combined with the lack of sleep and she's on the verge of tears.

"So, what do we do now?" she asks, her voice slightly shaky.

"We have to figure out a way to get the suction cups to release without hurting you further," he answers, feeling her misery through their contact.

"What do you suggest?" she whispers.

She's not sure why, but it's getting more painful the longer he hangs on.

"Your skin is no longer flushed with blood, so it's starting to contract. That's why it's starting to hurt more," he states. "Water won't do any good to get them to loosen since that's what they're designed to work in."

"Then what about oil?" she hisses in pain.

"That might work," he replies. "Do you have any up here, or should we go down to the kitchen for it?"

"There's some liniment oil in the bathroom," she states.

"That should do," he responds.

"I'm going to get off the bed now," she warns.

He takes a step back and gently guides her down to the floor. Once her feet are firmly on the ground, she takes a moment to get her bearings. She places her hands on top of his and then starts for the bathroom. He follows along behind, matching his steps to hers so they don't trip each other up. Since she's so much shorter than him, he has to walk with his back slightly bowed and his arms at a funny angle which after a few minutes gets to be pretty uncomfortable.

They finally reach the bathroom without incident and she turns on the light. She stands there for a few seconds as her eyes adjust to the sudden brightness before she heads for the sink. She opens one of cupboards under the counter, bends over at the waist and starts to shift through the various bottles. After about a minute of searching, she finds what she's looking for.

"Work the oil into your skin around the suction cups," he instructs into her ear.

She opens the bottle and pours some of the contents onto her hip. Then she slides her hand under his and follows his instruction really working the oil into the skin. After several minutes of massaging and applying more oil as needed, she stops and does the other side. When she's done, they stand there and wait, but nothing happens.

"Why haven't they let go yet?" she asks, a bit frustrated.

"The skin needs to be flushed again to get them to loosen," he answers.

"Do I need to add more oil?" she inquires in confusion.

"No, love," he replies. "The skin needs to be flushed with blood so that the skin goes back to the way it was when they first latched on."

"And how do you suggest I do that?" she questions.

"Like this," he whispers in her ear just before he starts to nibble on her neck.

She lets out a whimper as he concentrates on the body he's attached to and remembers how good it feels to have his hardness sheathed in her hot wet softness. He thinks about how wonderful this last time felt to be sliding in and out of her and hearing her scream his name. He's pulled out of his reverie by the sound of her actually doing what he was thinking of just before her legs give out and he barely catches her before she hits to floor.

He scoops her up into his arms, grabs the bottle of oil and carries her back to bed. By the time he's lying her back down on the bed, she's come back to her senses and she's none too pleased. She sits up and stares at him with eyes filled with confusion and pain.

"What just happened?" she whispers.

"We got my hands free," he replies, showing her the unbound appendages.

"What did you do to me?" she demands

"I made your skin flushed with blood the quickest way I knew how," he explains as he sits next to her on the bed.

"Don't _ever_ do that to me again," she growls as her eyes narrow.

"I don't understand," he responds, his head tilted to the side. "I thought you enjoyed orgasms."

"I do," she replies sadly. "But that one just felt so…empty. I'm not sure I can explain it any better than that."

He gently strokes her face and she closes her eyes as she leans into the caress. He bends over and places a very light kiss on her lips.

"You don't need to explain," he whispers.

She wraps her arms around him and pulls him towards her. He returns the hug with one arm and rubs one of the sore spots on her hips with the other, changing hands and hips after a while. They stay that way for some undetermined amount of time before he gently pushes her back.

"You need to get some more sleep and I need to get back in the water," he states.

She looks at him with sleepy half lidded eyes and nods. She crawls back under the covers, squirms around until she gets as comfortable as she can and with a sigh, closes her eyes. He watches her in silence until her breathing becomes slow and even before he returns to the bathroom. He turns off the light as he enters and spends a moment enjoying the quiet and dark. Then he slides back into the cool water affording himself a self satisfied smug smile. His distraction worked.


	13. Early Friday Morning

Maggie wakes to the sound of what seems to be every bird in the forest singing right outside her window and running water. With a sigh and a moan she tries to get more comfortable and get a bit more shut eye, but discovers that it's not possible thanks to yesterday's activities. Emitting a noise that's something between a groan and a whimper, she drags herself out of bed and heads for the bathroom.

Once there, she sees that Abe's refilling the tub for some strange reason, but right now that doesn't matter. She disappears into the water closet to deal with a more pressing need. When she comes out, the water's been turned off and he seems to be resting, so she starts to head out of the room.

_Join me?_ he asks.

"I'm not really into taking cold baths first thing in the morning," she informs him, stopping.

When she steps up to the bathtub, she notices that he's folded up in there and he's watching her. She cringes at the sight of him in such a cramped position.

_I know,_ he replies. _That is why I warmed up the water._

"I thought I wasn't allowed to take baths," she reminds him a bit bitterly.

_Hot baths,_ he counters. _The water is warm, not hot._

Leaning over, she sticks her fingers in the water and is met with a liquid that is pleasantly warm, but definitely not hot. Before she can draw her hand back out, he captures it and pulls it further in. He kisses the palm of her hand and shivers start holding relay races up and down her spine. She feebly tries to reclaim her hand, but he refuses to let go as he continues his assault on her senses with just the palm of her hand and his lips.

_Please join me,_ he requests again.

"You're cheating," she accuses weakly.

She can feel him chuckling as his mirth vibrates up the length of her arm and he starts to pull harder. She braces herself against the side of the tub, trying to fight him and losing miserably. He repositions himself in the bath allowing him to start kissing his way up her arm and her hand comes in contact with the soft supple skin of his chest.

Her mind pretty much goes blank as she starts to caress his hide and senses a rumble of pleasure coming from his chest through her fingers. He suddenly sits up, capturing her lips in a passionate, mind searing kiss. He reaches out and gently guides her into the tub with him. She settles in, sitting on her knees while her legs straddle his and she's only vaguely aware of the sound of the water draining out the overflow holes.

He takes her into his arms mindful of her bruises and continues to kiss her. She gladly returns the embrace and buss while her emotions take control of her body.

Hands begin to wander, eliciting moans out of both of them and minds go completely blank as the passion heats up. Something hard pokes her in the lower stomach and she grabs it, rubbing her thumb over the slit at the end. A growl escapes his throat as he grabs her breasts and his thumbs tease her nipples to hardness causing her to gasp.

In a maneuver that would amaze her if she had any functioning brains cells left, he slowly leans back taking her with him until he's leaning against the back rest and everything but his face and the top of his head is submerged. Wet human skin slides against soft fish scales driving her well past the point of sanity.

She lets go of his erection and repositions herself until she can feel it at her entrance. She sinks down onto him until he's fully inside her and they both moan with the pleasure. Then ever so slowly, she starts to move creating small waves that quietly slap against the side of the tub with her motions.

The feeling of him inside of her fills her mind, body and soul as she continues moving with her eyes closed and a death grip on the edge of the bathtub as little mewls of pleasure escape her lips. He's happy to be able to be in the water but her near snail pace is driving him crazy. He tries to encourage her to move at a faster tempo but she stubbornly refuses to change her gait.

"Faster," he finally manages to gasp out.

She doesn't even open her eyes as she shakes her head 'no' and continues her deliberately slow torment. Her now wet hair clings to her body in all the right places as she moves up and down, torturing him well beyond the edge of reason.

He suddenly changes their positions in a move that if she could think she would be sure defies a few laws of physics and she finds herself precariously perched on the edge of the tub. He has one arm wrapped around her and the other desperately holding onto the side of the bath as he starts to pound into her. She tries to hold onto him but his skin is too slippery to get a good grip on and she's afraid that she might scratch him if she tries any harder.

"Got…you," he grunts between thrusts.

Trusting him, she stops trying to get a grip and simply allows her hands to wander where they may. Her legs are a different matter as she tries to find a place for them that won't interfere with their coupling or let them just flap about. She finally just wraps them around his waist and once again is able to enjoy their love making.

His hardness slides in and out of her with delightful friction as she moans her pleasure. He starts to move harder and faster causing her cries to echo off of the walls. Closer and closer he drives them towards the precipice and then suddenly they are both screaming over the edge.

He collapses back into the water, dragging her with him and managing to twist in such a way that they land the correct way in the tub. Unfortunately, she doesn't have time to move her legs and finds herself in a rather uncomfortable position with her lower legs pinned underneath him and her on top of him adding to the weight and discomfort.

When her brain finally reengages several moments later, she starts to struggle to get out of the bath that's now filled with rather tepid water. Not an easy task when both of your legs are pinned under your husband. A few seconds later, Abe's mind returns to his body and he arches his back in order for her to get free. As soon as they're disentangled, she shakily climbs out of the bath.

"Are you alright?" he asks after sitting up.

"A bit cold," she answers with chattering teeth as she grabs a towel and starts to dry off. "And really sore."

"I'm sorry," he apologizes as he gracefully exits the tub.

"It's alright," she replies. She stops what she's doing and looks at him from the corner of her eye. "Why is it that when we're within a ten foot radius of each other we end up making love?"

"Isn't that what couples are supposed to do on their honeymoon?" he inquires, tilting his head to the side.

"I suppose," she responds while she finishes drying off. "But by the end of this week, I doubt I'll be able to walk with my feet together."

He chuckles as he pulls her into his arms and kisses her gently. She sighs as she rests her head on his muscular chest. They stay that way for several minutes until she reluctantly steps away.

"I need to go take care of Magick," she states as she hangs up her towel.

"I could do that if you like," he offers.

"No, but thank you," she replies. "I need to reestablish my relationship with him. Without my powers, it might take a while. Besides, I don't want anyone else in his barn except me and the vet until his quarantine is over."

"I really don't like you doing a lot of heavy lifting," he counters.

"I've been mucking stalls since I was old enough to hold a pitch fork, Abe," she responds, a bit irritated. "My body is quite used to the activity."

"But when you're farther along in the pregnancy…," he starts.

"Then we'll talk," she states. "In the mean time, he's waiting for his breakfast."

"You should eat something before you go down there," he says.

"I'll grab something before I go down," she replies.

"But…," he starts to object.

"Abe, please stop acting like a mother hen," she interrupts irritably. "I'm a grown woman and I can take care of myself. I've been doing it for many years now."

He closes his mouth with an audible snap, turns and leaves. Realizing what she's done, she quickly goes after him, stopping him just before he gets out the bedroom door.

"Abe, I'm sorry," she apologizes.

He just shrugs it off and continues on his way. She follows him into the hallway and blocks his way at the top of the stairs. A combination of her still damp hair lying against her skin, lack of clothing and standing on marble floor with bare feet give her goose bumps all over her body and a solid case of the shivers, but she just ignores it.

"I really am sorry," she repeats.

He refuses to look her in the eye as he tries to get past her, but she continues to bar his way.

"You know, when you've apologized, I've forgiven you," she points out, a bit irked.

He mumbles something as pushes past her and heads down the steps.

"DAMN IT, ABE! STOP RUNNING AWAY!" she screams as she stomps her foot.

"I said you're forgiven!" he yells back over his shoulder, still not looking at her or stopping his headlong flight down the stairs.

She lets out an ear splitting scream of frustration and the hurricane force wind that blasts through the house is enough to knock him off of his feet. He barely manages to grab hold of the handrail as he goes over and even then he still hits his head hard enough to send him for a loop. He's not sure how much time has gone by but by the time he's regained full control of his senses, he hears the kitchen door slamming.

He fumbles to his feet and staggers into the kitchen. Placing a hand on the door knob he 'sees' a very upset Maggie leaving the house fully dressed and with an apple in her hand. He opens the door with every intention of following her until the cool morning air stops him.

It takes him a full minute to understand what is wrong with this picture and then he finally looks down. He quietly closes the door and heads for her office. Once there, he collects his gear and dons it.

He leaves the house and quickly heads down the hill, intent on finding Maggie. As he's about to pass the last tree, he hears someone knocking on wood. He peeks around the tree and sees Helen holding something white in one hand and pounding on Magick's barn door with the other.

"Miss Cavendish, are you in there?" Helen yells through the heavy wood door.

Abe holds his post behind the oak and watches in fascination as the scene unfolds. A few moments later, the door opens and a rather bedraggled Maggie emerges. Her hair is loose and uncombed, her face is flushed and her eyes are red and puffy. She's been crying and he leans his head against the rough bark of the tree as his heart sinks to the vicinity of his knees.

"What's wrong?" Helen asks with a knowing look on her face.

"We had a fight," Maggie answers with a sniff as she steps through the door.

She closes the door behind her and leans her back against it. After a brief flinch of pain, changes to a more comfortable position.

"What happened?" Helen grills.

"I snapped at him and he refused to accept my apology until I dragged it out of him," Maggie responds sadly as another tear escapes down her cheek. "And even then it didn't sound like he meant it."

"What'd you snap at him about?" Helen continues her interrogation.

"He keeps making changes, or at least he tries to," Maggie replies quietly. "He treats me like I'm going to fall apart or something. I've seen antiques handled more roughly than he's been treating me."

"Sounds like Doug after I got pregnant with Allison," Helen states as Maggie turns a darker shade of red. Helen continues on as if she hasn't noticed the color change, "You know, I was truly wondering about Abe, being as that he's not quite…normal. But if he's acting like this, I guess he is a man."

"What do you mean?" Maggie asks.

"Well, let me ask you this," Helen replies. "Do you sometimes want to take him into the bedroom and do things to him that would make a porn star blush one minute and the next you want to choke the living daylights out of him?"

"How did you know?" Maggie inquires, puzzled.

"Because that's the way every woman in love feels," Helen answers. "It's a man's job to drive us nuts. How about I grab you a cup of coffee to help settle your nerves?"

Abe gets ready to leave his hiding spot until he hears Maggie's response.

"No, thank you," she answers. "I need to go take care of Magick and then I need to go get that prescription filled. Are you and Doug still coming up for lunch?"

"Of course," Helen replies. "Doug saw Abe through the window last night. Your husband made for some very interesting pillow talk afterwards. Doug was making a list of questions this morning at breakfast to ask you two. What time would you like us up there?"

"Noon should be good," Maggie responds. "Have you told Allison or Jamy about Abe yet?"

"No, and I'm not planning on it unless you want me to," Helen states.

"I think it's best that you don't," Maggie replies. "I have enough younger cousins to know that little kids keep secrets about as well as a sieve holds water."

"You've got that right," Helen laughs as she hands the white item over to her boss. "By the way, here's the quarantine sign you wanted and some thumb tacks for it."

"Thank you," Maggie says as she briefly looks at the sign. She stops; takes a closer look and then chuckles. "I see the kids helped."

"You know my kids, if it's a piece of paper, it needs to be decorated," Helen smiles.

"Tell them thank you for me," Maggie requests with a small smile. "It's very nice. And, Helen, thank you for listening."

"You're welcome," Helen replies, returning the smile. "We'll see you about noon then."

Maggie nods, turns and goes back into the barn as Helen heads off to do other things. Abe remains where he is, mulling over what he's overheard. He's not sure how much time has passed before he hears the barn doors open again.

Maggie exits, pushing a full wheelbarrow. She dumps the contents over behind the barn and then returns to the building with the barrow. She leaves the barn once more about a minute later, closes the door and then pins the quarantine sign on it. She starts up the hill and passes his hiding spot without noticing him.

"Do you really want to 'choke the living daylights' out of me?" he asks quietly.

She starts slightly and then stops, but doesn't turn around.

"How much of our conversation did you ease drop on?" she asks, less then pleased.

"All of it," he answers as he walks up to her and gently places his hands on her shoulders.

"That's considered very rude, you know," she states unhappily.

"I know and I'm sorry," he responds as he gently rubs her upper arms. "Please understand that I've never had such a close, personal relationship before. I just want to take care of you."

"There's a fine line between caring for someone and smothering them," she whispers too tired to fight any more.

"I've probably crossed it a few too many times this past week haven't I?" he inquires.

She mutely nods her reply as she lets out a sigh and her stomach lets out a growl. He quietly chuckles as he steps around her and he takes her hands into his. She looks up at him with eyes still gritty and sore from crying as her head slightly throbs and her sinuses slowly starts to drain.

"Let me care for you," he whispers as he brings his forehead to hers.

"What did you have in mind?" she asks warily.

"Let me make you breakfast," he offers.

"That would be wonderful," she concedes, relaxing.

He gently kisses her before he turns and leads her up the hill still holding one of her hands. Once they reach the back steps, he helps her take her boots off.

"Why don't you go take a shower while I make breakfast?" he requests. "It'll make you feel better."

She nods her agreement and slowly gets up. She finally staggers upstairs and heads for the bathroom. She gets in the shower and gets clean. After she's done rinsing off, she continues to stand there leaning against the wall in the relaxing heat that's washing over her with her eyes closed and that's where Abe finds her about twenty minutes later.

"Breakfast is almost ready," he says without preamble as he reaches in and turns off the water.

She finally cracks an eye open and with a groan pushes off of the wall and steps out of the shower as steam escapes into the bathroom. He hands her a towel and she puts her hair up into it turban style. He hands her a second towel and she starts to dry herself off with it right after giving him a quick kiss of thanks. He smiles, gooses her behind and barely makes his escape before a towel snaps the spot he had previously been occupying.

Several minutes later, Maggie enters the kitchen as Abe finishes putting breakfast on the table. She laughs at the sight of all the food spread out before her. French toast, scrambled eggs and bacon sit steaming on their various plates waiting to be eaten.

"How hungry do you think I am?" she asks unable to hide her smile.

"Well, you are pregnant," he points out.

"Now don't give me that I'm 'eating for three' line," she warns. "I doubt a couple of blobs of cells the size of a pin head are going to be requiring all that much food."

He takes another look at his handy work and turns a slightly darker shade of blue.

"I guess I did go a little overboard," he admits, a bit chagrinned.

"That's ok," she reassures him as she snags a few slices of bacon. "We can freeze the leftover toast and have it some other time."

They serve themselves in silence and after getting everything just so, they start to eat.

"This is very good, love," she states. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replies and then tilts his head to the side, curious. "But the French toast isn't as good as Doug's."

"He's had a bit more practice," she responds, slightly flushed. "Maybe you could ask him for his recipe this afternoon."

"Ah, yes, speaking of which," he starts. "What would you like me to serve for lunch?"

"I don't know," she answers. "I thought I'd get some sandwiches when I went into town."

"You don't want me to make lunch?" he asks, a bit hurt.

"I never said that," she replies. "I didn't want to impose on you."

"I don't mind," he responds.

"Are you sure?" she asks.

"Quite sure," he answers.

"Then I'll leave it to your imagination," she tells him. "You haven't had any bacon. Why?"

"It's not real bacon," he states.

"Ok, when did Hellboy possess you?" she asks jokingly.

"I'm sorry," he answers. "I tried some earlier and it just didn't taste right to me."

"Since I've only had soy bacon, I wouldn't know the difference," she responds with a shrug.

"You would if you tried some," he suggests.

"They'll be snow skiing on the sun before that happens," she retorts. "It doesn't matter; I can make a sandwich out of the leftovers."

He nods and they go back to eating, finishing in companionable silence. When she's eaten her fill, she realizes that a full belly combined with interrupted sleep and exertions both mental and physical make for a very tired body. She looks over at the dirty dishes waiting for her and groans inwardly.

Abe suddenly stands, takes her hands in his and pulls her out of her seat. Then he leads her out of the kitchen and back upstairs into the bedroom.

"The stores don't open for a couple more hours," he states. "Go take a nap. I'll wake you in about an hour."

Unable to come up with an argument, she nods and heads for the bed. She strips down to her panties, drops her clothes onto a nearby chair and crawls under the covers, relishing the feeling of the cools sheets against bare skin. Abe watches all of this as a certain part of his anatomy twitches. He can't wait to wake her up.


	14. Later Friday Morning

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the rights to Motrin or Tylenol.

* * *

Maggie is in that place between sleeping and awake where dreams and the real world come together. Her sleep fogged brain barely registers the bed shifting as someone joins her. However, her mind does recognize that a warm moist body has just sidled up to her.

He gladly lies on his back as she cuddles up to him resting her head on his chest just under his chin. She happily sighs as she relaxes into him and starts to drift back to sleep. He starts rubbing her in all the right places to make her wake up and she growls her disapproval.

"It's time to get up, my love," he whispers into her hair.

She tries to escape his caresses by repositioning herself, but that just exposes another area to be groped. Soon, he can hear and feel her breath become faster and more ragged and small whimpers escape her lips as she attempts to burry her face deeper into his chest. He smiles to himself as he continues his assault.

"Abe, please," she begs.

He slightly shifts their bodies so that they're lying on their sides facing each other and then grabs her top leg, pulling it over his hip. After getting her into position, he reaches between her legs and starts to gently massage her clit. She gasps in surprise as she closes her eyes and throws her head back. He takes advantage of the exposed neck and begins to nibble on the newly revealed flesh.

Mewls of pleasure are only interrupted by ragged drawing of breath as she pushes herself into his hand. He answers her need by going faster and harder. All too soon, she cries out her completion as the leg around his waist tightens trapping his hand between their bodies and against his erection.

As soon as the convulsions abate and her leg relaxes, he slides away from her, pulling her forward onto her stomach as he does so. He sits up and pulls off her panties that are wet with her desire and throws them off to the side. He separates her legs and positions himself between them.

He grabs himself and moves his erection at the entrance of her hot wet core. He slides into her eliciting a whimpering moan from her. Balancing his weight on his arms like a long skinny blue seal, he starts to move in and out of her causing her to slightly arch her back and to fill the room with her cries.

She grabs her pillow in a death grip as she feels the pressure building again as he continues to thrust into her. The force of his pushes is causing delightful friction between the sheets and her nipples, pushing her even closer to the edge. Suddenly, he picks up the pace and she can feel herself hurtling over the edge screaming his name.

She lies there panting; sweat starting to trickle down her brow as she tries to recover from his latest assault. She's barely aware of being rolled onto her side until he presses himself up to her. He starts to kiss the sweat from her face and she's made aware of something hard pressing into her thigh.

His kisses and caresses become more demanding and she begins to respond very favorably to them. Her hand begins wander until it comes in contact with the rock hard item currently trying to burrow its way through her thigh. She wraps her fingers around it, starts to stroke, rubbing a thumb over the tip and causing him to throw his head back and gasp. She takes advantage of the exposed neck and begins to nibble on the newly revealed flesh.

"Maggie, please," he begs.

"Need you inside me," she whispers just before she kisses a gill.

Suddenly, he pulls away and she finds herself on her side with her upper leg being held straight up into the air. He kneels over the leg still on the bed as he rests the heel of the other leg against his shoulder. He slides into her again as she scrabbles to find some part of him to touch, eventually grabbing onto the only part she can reach: his leg.

He grabs the headboard to brace himself and starts to pump into her, noisily shaking the bed with their love making. She caresses his thigh, encouraging him along as her groans fill the room. The new angle sends her to new heights while he pounds into her and her mind goes blank.

He absorbs her heat like a dry sponge absorbs water and it's drawing him closer to the edge. He lets one hand go of the headboard and starts to caress her body and leg with the now free hand loving the feel of her sweat slicked skin.

"Please, Abe," she pleadingly moans. "Oh, god, please. So close."

Her urging makes him start to go faster, slamming into her as hard as he can. Her cries echo off of the walls as her back arches and her body starts to spasm with her climax. He grabs a hold of her thigh as he gives one final thrust, feeling his own orgasm take a hold of his body.

He collapses, landing on the bed next to her, still holding onto her leg. She lies there whimpering as she starts to pull on the hand that's still clinging to her. A throbbing in his head makes it hard to concentrate on what she's doing.

"Abe, please let go," she desperately beseeches, but he can't hear her because of the pain.

A good minute later, the thudding in his brain reduces to a more manageable level and he's finally able to take in his surroundings again. Maggie is lying beside him curled into a ball crying tears of pain into her pillow and his hand is being held in place at a rather uncomfortable angle.

He can feel that her thigh and head are hurting, so he looks down at his hand to see he's suction cupped his hand to her again and it's hurting her while his own leg aches in sympathy. He tries to open the suction cups a little bit more, and luckily, this time they easily release her.

He sees the round welts on her leg and looks around for the bottle of liniment oil he put on the nightstand last night. Finding the container where he left it, he pours some of the liquid onto her thigh and then starts to work it into the sore spots. Soon the welts will reduce to mere bruises, matching the ones already on her hips. He closes both sets of eye lids and sighs.

"Why didn't you tell me I had hurt you?" she asks in a choked whisper.

He looks up into her red rimmed, blood shot eyes and cocks his head to one side. With the dull throbbing still echoing through his head, he's having a hard time concentrating. She sits up and touches his head, causing him to wince in pain and his head to slightly spin.

She sits up a bit more until she's sitting with her legs crossed and then pulls his head into her lap. He doesn't fight as she gently caresses the skin around the bump on the back of his head. His body shakes with a combination of too much air, pain and exhaustion. He knows he should get back in the water, but he's not sure he can get there by himself.

"Can you walk?" she questions as her strokes start to go down his neck and back.

"I don't know," he answers after doing a quick self check.

"I'll fill the tub and then help you get in," she states.

She carefully slides out from under his head and then slips out of the bed. As soon as her feet touch the cold floor, her legs nearly give out. She catches herself just in time on the edge of the bed as he tries to reach for her but is stopped by a renewed wave of pain. He gasps as his body shakes even harder.

"Stay put," she orders. "I'll be back in a minute."

She staggers into the bathroom and starts the water flowing. She returns to the bedroom and finds him trying to sit up. He's nearly gray in color and it has her worried. She quickly crosses the room to him and puts an arm around him. She slowly helps him to stand up, letting him lean most of his weight onto her.

By the time they creep their way into the bathroom, the tub is full. She turns off the tap and then steps into the tub. The cold water causes instant goose bumps, but she just ignores them as she helps him into the bath. By the time she gets him into the tub and settled, her teeth are chattering and she's shivering.

Ignoring her own discomfort, she gets out of the bath, goes over to the vanity and then drags the chair over to the tub. She sits down, reaches into the frigid water and starts to pet him again. After what seems to be an eternity later, his color slowly returns to normal but she continues to stroke him despite her hand going numb from the cold.

_You need to go shopping,_ he states as he catches her hand in his and kisses the back of it.

"Are you going to be alright with me gone?" she asks worriedly as she pulls her hand back.

_I'll be fine,_ he replies. _I left a shopping list on the kitchen counter. Would you please pick those items up for me?_

"What am I getting?" she inquires.

_Some of the ingredients for dinner,_ he answers.

"Maybe we should postpone lunch for a day or so," she suggests.

_I'll be fine,_ he repeats. _Besides, I've already made lunch. It's waiting in the refrigerator._

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she queries.

_Now who's being the mother hen?_ he chuckles.

"It's one thing to want to take care of someone, and entirely something else to be responsible for an injury," she chokes out. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because," he replies as his head emerges from the water, "up until a little while ago, it wasn't bothering me."

"I'm sorry," she whispers as she leans her forehead against his, unable to hold back the tears. "I'm so sorry."

He takes her face into his hands and forces her to look at him.

"I forgive you," he states just before he kisses her.

She kisses him back with such vigor she nearly pushes him back into the water. Her tears mix with the bath water as her guilt continues to consume her. Whether her body is shaking from the cold or something else, she can't tell, and at this point, she doesn't care. He finally breaks the kiss and then wipes away her tears with his thumbs.

"Maybe you should take a shower before you go," he suggests. "It'll make you feel better."

"Are you _sure_ you're going to be alright?" she asks again.

"If I can survive having my chest ripped open by a hell hound, I can survive a bump on the head," he reassures her with a small smile.

She glances down at his chest, but there's no sign of any damage to his chest and then she looks back up at him with confusion in her eyes. He chuckles as he gives her another quick kiss and releases her face.

"It happened before I met you," he tells her.

"And you don't scar," she states, a bit jealous.

"I do," he replies, sitting up and pointing at his chest. "You just have to look carefully."

She takes a closer look at his chest and can barely make out the faint lines of where his flesh had been laid open. She reaches out and gently traces the lines with her finger tips. His skin changes color at her touch, making her smile.

"That prescription isn't going to fill itself," he reminds her. She opens her mouth to say something but is stopped by him putting a finger on her lips. "I'll be fine. Now please go. Our guests will be here soon and we will be considered poor hosts if we aren't at least mostly ready."

"When did you start channeling my grandmother?" she asks rhetorically after pulling back.

She stands, returns the seat to its rightful place, takes a quick shower to warm up and finally goes and gets dressed. She checks in on Abe before she leaves and sees he's turned the jets on. He seems to be resting comfortably, or at least as comfortable as one can get folded up like origami.

"Are you going to ok while I'm gone?" she asks, still a bit concerned.

_Either get going or I'm going to drag you in here with me and make you scream my name again,_ he playfully threatens.

"Beast," she mutters as she turns to leave.

_I heard that._

"GOOD!" she yells back over her shoulder.

She beats a hasty retreat when she hears the water in the tub starting to slosh against the sides.

* * *

About an hour later, Maggie finds herself dragging a couple of bags into the kitchen with no husband in sight. She dumps the bags on the counter and starts to unload them. As soon as the bags are empty, she puts away the bags and then starts to on the groceries.

Abe enters as she's trying to find room in the fridge for the perishables and sees a small orange box on the counter. He picks it up, looks at it and then quietly leaves with it in hand.

"And where do you think you're going with that?" asks a less than amused wife.

"Where am I going with what?" he counters as he tries to hide said item behind his back.

"The Motrin," she growls back as she holds her hand out. "Give it back."

"No," he responds.

"What do you mean 'No'?" she demands, taking a step closer to him as he steps back. "Abe, I have a headache that starts just behind my eyes and is currently working its way down to my toes. Now please give me the Motrin."

"No," he repeats.

"And why not?" she snaps.

"Because Motrin is made with ibuprofen and that is a blood thinner and it could cause you to miscarry," he answers.

She stares at him in stunned surprise for a good minute before she gives up and returns to the kitchen with slumped shoulders. Resigning herself to having to just deal with the pain, she goes back to her previous task.

Just as she's putting away the last item, he returns, takes one of her hands in his and places something in it. She looks at the two red and yellow gelcaps rolling around on her palm and then looks up at him just as he's handing her a glass of water. With a sigh, she takes the Tylenol he's handed her.

"I know Tylenol doesn't work as well as Motrin, but it should bring you some relief," he states quietly.

"Thank you," she responds.

She starts to clean the kitchen as he begins to gather plates, glasses and silverware for lunch. She watches as he heads out the door, down the hall and into the living room. She can hear the sliding glass door open and she figures he's setting the table on the patio. As she's washing one of the larger pans, he comes back into the kitchen, pulls a couple of glass pitchers with a thick layer of dust on them out of the cupboard and puts them next to her to wash.

"Where did those come from?" she asks.

"The cupboard," he answers.

"I know that," she retorts. "I just don't remember ever seeing them before."

"I believe your grandmother gave them to you," he replies after laying a bare hand on them. "They've been up there for some time."

"It figures," she sighs. "My grandmother is always sneaking things into my house. She seems to think I should be holding huge parties every other week. I swear there are things in this house that I've never even seen that she's sneaked in."

"She loves you," he states as he pulls open the fridge and starts to pull out the ingredients for a salad.

"She's trying to make me the perfect little hostess," she replies as she rinses the pan and then starts on the first pitcher.

"Well, at least they're finally going to be put to good use," he points out.

"What are you going to put in them?" she asks as she rinses the pitcher.

"I'm planning on putting lemonade in one and ice water in the other," he answers.

"Sounds good," she responds as she starts to work on the second pitcher.

"You are aware of what will happen if Manning finds out about this lunch, don't you?" he questions, changing the subject.

"I imagine an entire zoo's worth of baby animals coming out of that man," she replies while rinsing the pitcher.

"Now there's a mental image I could have lived the rest of my life without," he states with a shudder.

She chuckles while he starts to slice up the toppings for the salad.

"I believe trying to only give them the barest of information would probably be best," she says while she starts to work on another pan. "Not letting them know about the bureau, Hellboy or Mages would be safest."

"Then what do we tell them when they want to know how we met?" he asks as he finishes the green salad.

They spend the next several minutes deciding what should and shouldn't be told to Helen and Doug while she finishes cleaning the kitchen and he puts the finishing touches on lunch. As he's pulling the pasta salad out of the fridge, something catches her eyes.

"What's that?" she asks, pointing at said item.

"It's dessert," he answers. "I made a fruit tart. I hope that's alright."

"That's fine," she replies. "But where did you get a tart pan?"

"It was in the cupboard shoved towards the back," he responds as he transfers the pasta to a serving bowl.

With a sigh and a shake of the head, she drains the water out of the sink. With the dishes done, she helps him take the food out to the patio. No sooner does she put the pitcher of ice water down on the table, when he grabs her and pulls her towards him. He captures her lips with his for a mind numbing kiss. When he finally lets her up for air, she's not sure if she should jump him or hit him.

"By the way, have I told you how nice you look?" he asks with a self satisfied smirk on his face. "Why did you switch to a skirt? You were wearing pants earlier."

"It's to warm for pants," she answers. "I tried shorts, but someone left a series of bruises on my thigh that the shorts couldn't cover, so I went with a skirt."

"I like it," he states as he starts to rub his hand up her leg causing the material to bunch up. "I can kiss and make those bruises better if you like."

"Stop that," she says as she tries to push his hand away. "We have company coming."

"They're not coming," he states and she looks at him in confusion.

"What do you mean they're not coming?" she demands just as someone knocks on the front door.

"Because they're here."


	15. Lunch

Maggie frowns at him for a few seconds before pulling away and heading for the front door. Abe follows her and just before she reaches for the door knob, he starts to chuckle. She looks over her shoulder quizzically at him.

"They're worried that you made lunch," he explains.

"Remember what we discussed," she warns with a scowl. "No more peeking into their heads without permission."

"I won't," he swears as he traces an 'X' over his heart. "Cross my heart."

With one final glare, she turns back to the front door and opens it. There stands Helen and Doug and it's slightly amusing to watch their eyes grow really big as they stare past her to Abe in all his blue and dry land gear glory. Before their jaws can reach their knees, she invites them in.

"Helen, Doug, I'd like you to meet my husband, Abraham Sapien," she introduces as she quietly closes the door behind them.

"How do you do," Abe greets with an extended gloved hand.

They shake his hand mumbling something that resembles a greeting, still staring at him in stunned surprise. Maggie gently herds them through the family room and out onto the patio. The sight of the food spread out before them finally seems to break them of their trance.

"Wow, this looks wonderful," Helen exclaims as she turns to Maggie. "Did you make all of this?"

"Heavens, no," Maggie laughs. "Abe is the cook in the family."

Helen looks at her doubtfully and Maggie laughs again.

"I know what you're thinking," Maggie states. "I thought the same thing when he first made dinner. Trust me; he's a lot better than I am in the kitchen."

"I suppose it would be a little hard to out do those little hockey pucks you made for Christmas the other year," Helen chuckles as she takes the seat that Doug has pulled out for her.

"Hey, you're the one who insisted that all the cookies in the cookie exchange had to be homemade," Maggie retorts as she seats herself in the chair that Abe has presented for her. "And as fascinating as my lack of culinary skills is, I believe you two came up here for another reason."

"Um, yea, right," Helen mumbles as she first looks at Doug, then Abe, and then back at Doug again.

"Perhaps it would be better if I told you my story in order to answer some of the more obvious questions," Abe suggests.

At their nods, he starts his tale while everyone helps themselves to food. As Helen and Doug consume their lunch, barely aware of what they're eating, Abe tells them his history leaving out various details such as Hellboy, Liz and the BPRD. He does tell them where he was found, where his name came from and that he works for the FBI.

"So if you're secretly working for the FBI, how did you two meet?" asks Helen.

"I can answer that one," Maggie states as Abe gratefully fills his plate and starts to eat. "A little over a year ago I took Magick out to try out some new trails up at the park north of here."

"I remember that," Helen states. "The next day Magick looked like he had been rolled in salt."

"Well, he got spooked and he took off," Maggie explains. "He ran right onto the FBI facility where Abe works and he managed to knock me off his back in the process."

"You lost control of Magick and got knocked off of his back?" Helen questions incredulously. "That's it; the world's coming to an end."

"At any rate, Abe took care of me while I was there," Maggie continues.

"Abe took care of you?" Doug tries to clarify with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," Abe replies. "I'm very good with my hands."

Both Helen and Doug snort and try to hide the snickers as Maggie turns a lovely shade of pink.

"That didn't come out the way I intended," Abe mutters, turning a darker shade of blue while Helen and Doug now start openly laughing and Maggie turns an incredible crimson red as she drops her face into her hand.

"So, how long have you two been married?" Helen finally manages to ask several minutes later.

"We got married on Monday," Maggie answers, her face slowly returning to its natural color.

"So this is your honeymoon?" Doug questions.

Maggie nods her reply as she takes a sip of water.

"And you're dressed and upright," Doug smirks. "I'm impressed."

Maggie can start feeling her face heat up again.

"Are you two planning on having any kids?" Helen inquires.

"Two, at least," Abe responds with a knowing smile.

"But how will that work?" Doug asks a bit confused, staring at Abe. "I mean, no offence, but you're not, um, exactly…normal."

"Let's just say we're compatible," Abe replies.

"But how can you be sure you two can have a baby?" Helen asks, just as bewildered as her husband.

"We had Abe tested," Maggie states.

She doesn't like blatantly lying to them, but it's better than trying to explain that the Powers that be chose for them to be together and it wouldn't have happened if they couldn't produce a baby.

"Oh," Doug utters, still looking at Abe. "But why are you blue?"

"It's camouflage," Abe answers. "It helps me hide in the water when I'm doing my job."

"Someone designed you to look like that?" Helen inquires.

"I'm not sure," Abe responds. "I have no memories of before I was revived."

"You said when you're in the water," Doug wonders. "How long can you hold your breath?"

"I don't," Abe states as he starts to remove his respirator.

As soon as the last part of the apparatus is removed, Helen and Doug get the shock of their lives. Their eyes become as large as saucers as they stare at Abe's gills.

"I think it's time for dessert," Abe states as he stands and begins to clear off the table.

"I'll help," Maggie offers as she rises and starts to put action to words.

Between the two of them, they get the table quickly cleared while their guests sit there still too stunned to speak or move. Several minutes later they return with clean plates and silverware and the fruit tart. Neither Helen nor Doug has moved and they both sit there looking like fish out of water.

Dessert is served and still they haven't moved. Abe puts his respirator back on as Maggie tries to come up with something to snap their guests out of their shock. After a couple more minutes of silence, Maggie is finally able to come up with something.

"Helen," Maggie calls. After a few moments of no response, she tries again. "HELEN!"

"Yes, Miss Cavendish?" Helen responds automatically, startled out of her reverie.

"Has Dr. Tambor called yet?" Maggie asks.

"Oh, uh, yes, yes he has," Helen replies, still a bit flustered. "He says that Spirit tested positive for heroin."

"Spirit?" Maggie inquires.

"Allison saw the new horse and insists on calling him Spirit," Helen answers embarrassedly. "I hope you don't mind."

"No, that's fine," Maggie reassures her. "I don't have any thing better to call him, so Spirit will do. Let's hope he can live up to his name."

"Speaking of horses," Doug starts, glancing at Abe, "how did you get Spirit and Magick to stop fighting?"

"I'm telepathic," Abe explains. "I was able to, for lack of a better term, freeze their thought processes until Maggie came to get Magick."

"Telepathic?" Doug questions disbelievingly as Helen shifts nervously in her seat. "So you do some type of Vulcan mind meld thing or something?"

"Um, no," Abe replies a bit confused himself.

"So, are you, like reading our minds right now?" Doug asks, still not believing but with a smirk on his face.

"No," Abe responds. "I will not read you without your permission."

"But if I gave you permission you'd read my mind?" Doug grills.

"Yes, if you want," Abe states.

"Ok, I give you permission," Doug states with a smug look plastered to his face as he leans back in his chair. "What am I thinking right now?"

Dark blue eyes meet crystal blue for a second before Abe turns such a dark shade of blue that his stripes nearly disappear. He looks away from Doug and his eyes land on Helen. He quickly looks away from her and his gaze finally lands on Maggie. Unable to take what he's just seen in Doug's mind, Abe beats a hasty retreat from the patio and back into the house.

"What in the world were you thinking about that got Abe so embarrassed?" Maggie asks a bit concerned over her husband's reaction.

"I thought he was joking," Doug stammers as he starts to turn red.

"Doug, what were you thinking about?" Helen demands.

"I didn't think he was serious," he answers meekly, looking away from his wife.

"What were you thinking about?" Helen nearly shouts.

"I was thinking about last night."

"What, about the horses fighting?" Helen asks.

"No, after that," he whispers.

"Putting the kids to bed?" Helen questions, still confused.

"After that," he mutters.

"Us talking about Abe?" Helen continues to interrogate now getting upset, not liking where this is going.

"After that," he mumbles staring at a spot on the ground as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

"YOU DIDN'T!" Helen yells, her face turning white.

He only nods as his blush goes from his hair line and continues down past his shirt collar. Helen sits there staring at him, quietly seething and looking like she's about to ring his neck.

"What was he thinking about?" Maggie asks, still confused.

"He thought about us having sex last night," Helen answers bluntly.

"Oh, dear god," Maggie whispers as she covers her mouth with a hand, shocked at the answer she's received.

"Remember how I said sometimes you want to hold your man and other times you want to choke them?" Helen asks and Maggie nods her response. "Well, I think mine needs a bit of throttling."

"And I have a feeling mine needs holding," Maggie replies as she stands.

"Tell Abe that lunch was delicious," Helen says as she follows Maggie's example, dragging a very chagrined Doug with her. "And that we're really sorry."

Maggie glances at Doug and he nods emphatically his agreement with Helen. With a sigh, Maggie gives a curt nod herself and then leads them back to the front door. The couple leaves after saying their goodbyes quickly followed by Maggie going off in search of Abe.

She's able to easily find him in the bathroom taking a shower with his dry land gear still on. He's leaning with his forehead against the wall and both sets of eyelids are closed. His coloring has gone the opposite direction that it had earlier and now his stripes stand out strikingly against his skin. He seems to be shaking slightly as well.

"Abe?" she asks cautiously.

"I feel like I've been unfaithful to you," he whispers.

Luckily her sensitive hearing, part of the package deal of being an Air Mage, hasn't diminished with her pregnancy otherwise she would have totally missed what he just said.

"But you weren't," she assures him. "None of us had any idea what Doug was thinking until you touched his mind. I believe Helen is probably giving him a piece of hers right now."

He gives her a small smile as he finally opens his eyes and looks at her.

"I still feel dirty," he states sadly.

"Trust me, I know the feeling," she responds as she opens the shower door. "But you're not doing yourself any favors by having your gear on."

Ignoring the cold spray as best she can, she begins to carefully divest him of his apparel starting with the respirator. He watches while nimble fingers work the buckles on his top and he realizes that he wants her. Now.

He's naked from the waist up as he grabs her and pulls her into the shower with him paying no heed to her protests of how cold the water is. The frigid water quickly plasters her clothing to her as she breaks out in goose bumps and she shivers. She starts to struggle but he just holds her tighter as his lips claim hers.

She tries to fight back and he pins her against the wall as he continues his rough assault on her lips. She can't move, can't fight him off, her powers are gone and she's scared. Images from what seems to be a lifetime ago come crashing forward.

A parked 4X4 just after sunset out in the Australian Outback. The same feelings as before fill her being. Alone. Hurting. Scared. Helpless. This time there's no baginis to save her and she knows it. A small whimper of fear escapes her throat as she tries to fight back the tears threatening to escape her tightly closed eyes.

Her memories and feelings flood his senses, sending him reeling against the opposite wall and painfully into the knobs of the tap which he ignores. He watches in horror as she sinks to the floor, curling into a fetal position and sobs wrack her body. He gets down on his hands and knees and reaches for her only to have her shrink back from his touch.

"I'm sorry, Maggie," he chokes out. "I never meant to hurt you."

She's shaking so hard and her teeth are chattering so much, she wouldn't be able to answer him even if she wanted to. He quickly reaches behind him without looking and turns on the hot water tap. He sits up onto his knees blocking the icy water from reaching her until the hot water finally arrives.

When it does get there, he moves to the side to allow it to warm her frozen body. Several minutes pass before she moves enough so that she can look at him with red rimmed eyes and his heart sinks to the vicinity of the Earth's core. He slowly moves closer and when he reaches out to her, she doesn't pull back but gratefully allows him to her into his lap.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes again.

"Did you mean to do that?" she asks quietly as she rests her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"No," he states emphatically.

"Then you're forgiven," she replies, relaxing into him.

"Does that mean we get to have make up sex now?" he asks semi-jokingly.

She sits up, looks at him with a cocked eyebrow and then sees the poorly concealed smile playing across his lips. She quietly laughs as she leans over and gently kisses him. He caresses her face with such a light touch she almost doesn't feel it. With a contented sigh she leans into his hand.

"As much as I would like that, I'm soaking wet," she starts.

"You say that as if it's a bad thing," he interrupts as he tilts his head.

"And I need to put away the tart before all the animals in the neighborhood help themselves to it," she continues with a mock scowl.

He raises a hand and spreads his fingers unnaturally wide pointing it in the direction of the patio. He holds his arm up like this for several seconds before lowering it.

"Too late," he states.

"Damn," she swears. "I was hoping to have some for dessert tonight."

"You've developed quite the potty mouth," he chuckles.

"And I blame you," she retorts as she slowly starts to climb to her feet.

With grace and speed that boggles the mind; he stands up and helps her up the rest of the way. She gratefully leans on him as he reaches over and turns off the water. He carefully leads her out of the shower. Her sodden clothes drip onto the already wet floor since the shower door wasn't closed after she opened it.

He starts to help her remove her wet clothes, deliberately taking his time until he notices that she's shivering again. As the last garment hits the floor with a very wet 'plop,' he grabs a towel and begins drying her off. She lets him as the feeling of him caressing her body with the fluffy cloth is somehow both relaxing and stimulating at the same time.

Just as his ministrations start getting more stimulating than relaxing, there's a loud banging on the kitchen door. Abe raises his hand and does a repeat performance from earlier. A few seconds later he relaxes his arm a sound that is something between a sigh and a growl resonates from his chest.

"It's Helen," he informs her. "She forgot to get the antibiotics from you."

"That was my fault," she states. "I should have given it to her earlier. Why don't you go for a swim while I deal with her and then clean up?"

"What if I said 'no'?" he counters.

"What if I said don't bother wearing your shorts when you go swimming?" she counters his counter.

Watching his coloring change and shift across his body is not only amusing, but damn well sexy to boot. He gives her a quick mind searing kiss before he disappears out the door. When brain functions return, she finds herself standing naked in a puddle and Helen is banging on the kitchen door again calling her name.

She wraps her hair in a towel and then grabs the robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door, donning it. She answers the door just as Helen's about to start pounding on the door again. Helen takes one look at Maggie's attire and blushes furiously.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were…um…busy," Helen mutters.

"It's alright, I was just taking a shower," Maggie replies.

"Oh, ok," Helen responds, her color somewhat returning to normal. "I forgot to get the antibiotics from you."

"Oh, right, let me get those for you," Maggie says.

Maggie leaves and comes back to the door about a minute later holding a large white plastic bottle, a few feet of heavy duty chain and a pad lock with a key.

"Here are the antibiotics," Maggie states, handing over the bottle and then she hands the ranch manager the chain and lock. "Would you mind attaching these to Magick's barn door, please?"

"Ok, but why are you giving me a key?" Helen asks. "I didn't think you wanted anyone else but you going in there."

"That's in case of an emergency and you don't have time to get me," Maggie answers.

"Ah," Helen utters as she nods her understanding.

Helen starts to turn to go, but stops mid-turn and looks at Maggie.

"Can I ask you a question?" Helen inquires.

"You just did, but you can ask me another one if you like," Maggie smiles as she leans against the door frame.

"What should I call you?" Helen questions. "I mean you're married now, Miss Cavendish doesn't seem right, but I don't know if you're going to change your last name to Sapien, and Mrs. Cavendish has always been your grandmother. So what should I call you?"

Maggie stands there for a minute thinking about it as Helen looks on nervously. For nearly a decade Helen has only known her employer as Miss Cavendish and thought of her having to start calling the younger woman something else just seems weird.

"How about you just call me Maggie?" Maggie replies with a warm smile.

The stunned look on Helen's face is priceless for the many moments it's there. As soon as she's over the shock, Helen grins in return to Maggie's own smile.

"I would be honored to call you Maggie," Helen finally states just before she grabs Maggie in a bear hug. "Congratulations. Abe seems to be a wonderful man."

Helen quickly releases Maggie and then charges down the stairs and eventually down the hill. Maggie watches her go, a bit shocked by the sudden hug. With a small laugh and a shake of her head, she turns back to the house.

After towel drying her hair, she goes about cleaning the kitchen which just consists of putting the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Then she heads out to the patio to find that the animals have not only licked the plates clean of any traces of the tart, but have knocked a few of the them to the ground, shattering them. It takes her several minutes to get the mess cleaned up and the surviving dishes into the dishwasher.

As soon as she's done, she heads down to the pond. Shedding her robe on the shore, she steps out into the water until it's just below her knees.

"I'm here, Abe."


	16. Gone Swimming

A ripple in the water is the only clue she has of his approach. She looks down and sees his long blue form swimming up to her on his back. He stops right in front of her and gently sinks to the bottom with his head coming to rest of the tops of her feet. She smiles down at him as he smiles up to her and they stay that way for several moments.

"Comfortable?" she asks.

_Quite,_ he answers.

"Enjoying the view?" she inquires.

_Very much so,_ he responds.

Her gaze slides down his body and she notices with great delight that he took her advice to go swimming sans shorts. In fact, her eyes travel no farther than the now bare skin laid out below her and she enjoys seeing that a part of his anatomy is now partially standing at attention.

_Enjoying the view?_ he inquires.

"Very much so," she says in a breathy voice.

She watches as her words cause him to come to near full attention. A blue hand snakes its way up her leg, caressing it as he turns his head and starts to kiss her ankle. He slowly starts to work his way up the appendage that's now threatening to give out.

"Abe," she gasps.

_Sit down,_ he orders.

She quickly complies with a splash and settles into the soft silt beneath her since the other option is to fall down. He flips himself over and pulls himself out of the water until his face is level with hers. The water is now up to just below her shoulders and her breasts are gently bobbing in the soft waves. The cold water has caused goose bumps all over her body and her nipples to harden.

He leans forward and their lips meet, at first gently, but as the passion takes over the kiss deepens and becomes more intense. She reaches up and starts to caress his face, delighting in the feel of his moist skin as his lips begin to wander down to her neck. He finds the area just under her ear an excellent place to work since it causes her mind to go completely blank. He starts to suck on that spot in earnest as she continues to mindlessly stroke him.

Her hands wander over the top of his head and down the back, accidentally brushing the bump there. He winces and she freezes in place, afraid to move, afraid that she's hurt him again. He gently pulls the offending hand away and brings it to his lips where he kisses the palm.

"Did I hurt you?" she whispers, nearly in tears.

"Startled would be more like," he replies, trying to reassure her.

"But I saw you flinch," she protests.

"Well, it didn't exactly tickle," he states. "I'll be fine."

"But…" she starts.

Any further protests are silenced when his lips claim hers once more. He quickly intensifies the kiss and her mind goes blank once more. He releases the hand he captured earlier and starts to caress her body.

Small mewls escape her throat as the fondling increases and his mouth starts to explore its way down her jaw and throat. He continues his southward trek as one of her hands caresses what it can reach and the other rests on the back of his neck just at the base of his skull.

He works his way down past her collar bone, the taste of her trembling body brings him to new found hardness. As he continues his ministrations across her chest he can feel her shaking harder with her pent up need. Suddenly, she grabs his face in her hands, pulls away, and forces his head out of the water to look her.

"Are you going to be alright?" she asks worriedly.

"I'll be fine," he growls, frustrated.

"But the last time we made love you collapsed," she points out, not in the least bit reassured. "And your skin was gray."

"Last time we were in your bed," he reminds her. "This time we're in water so I'll be alright. Now, if you don't mind, I was busy turning you into mindless mush."

With that he immediately latches onto one of her nipples and starts to suck on it. Her eyes and head roll back as a small squeak escapes her lips. He pulls her closer so that he can attend the wonderful little pink bud in his mouth as his gills gratefully absorb the oxygen out of the water. She moans and writhes in his grasp causing their bare skins to rub against each other, creating a delightful friction.

He finally releases her nipple and she grabs him, flipping him over so that she's kneeling and straddling his lap. He sits up as her hand snakes between them and grabs his manhood causing him to gasp. A shiver runs up his spine as she gently strokes him and starts to place gentle kisses on his face.

He can feel his gills flare trying to deal with the abundance of air around them while her kisses continue to rain down on him. She slowly starts to work her way down his neck to his fluttering gills where more kisses are placed at the base of the front gill. A groan resonates from his chest when she does this and it makes her smile against his cool skin.

He starts to run his hands over her body, going where ever they may. She pushes herself up until she slightly towers over him and now it's her turn to claim his lips. Tongues wrestle as she moves her hips forward and positions herself over his erection. She slowly lowers herself until he's fully sheathed inside of her and they both moan with the feeling.

She gently, but firmly pushes back on his shoulders. He gets the idea, releasing her from his embrace as he leans back far enough for his neck to be submerged and taking his weight onto his arms. She keeps her hands on his shoulders for balance as she starts to ride him.

She starts a deliberately slow pace, enjoying once more the feeling of him filling her to the max. All he can do is watch her as she moves up and down his shaft with her head thrown back exposing a delicious expanse of skin and her breasts bouncing up and down with her movements. It's slow torture watching her, feeling her move up and down on him and not being able to touch her back.

Suddenly, she starts to move faster, pumping up and down on him in a wild frenzy. Panted mewls escape her lips as she slams down on him taking him fully within herself. She gladly races towards the precipice with all of her might and then throws herself off the top with a cry.

She collapses onto his chest and he quickly sits up again in order to get her face out of the water. He holds her as she leans against him panting quietly and her warm breath playing over his scales. He embraces her shuddering form, still firmly lodge within her.

A short eternity later, she sits up and looks at him. He lovingly looks back at her just before he leans down and kisses her. He's gentle and slow as he holds her closer and she wraps her arms around his torso.

Their lips finally part and he leans back a little to gaze upon his wife again. She smiles up at him just before she squeezes the muscles around the part of his body that's still ensconced within her. He gasps, flares his gills and holds her closer.

"Keep that up and I'll drag you out to deeper water," he threatens.

"And what if that's what I want you to do?" she teases as she gives him another squeeze.

"Hold your breath," is the only warning he gives before launching himself into the water.

She barely manages to grab a lung full of air before she's submerged in the cool fluid of the pond. She quickly wraps her legs back around his waist as he nearly slides out of her with his sudden movement. She hangs on as he starts to swim into deeper water.

His undulations cause him to start sliding in and out of her making her want to start moaning and gasping for breath. Her lungs start to ache as his moves increase the friction he's creating drives her near to the braking point. By the time she doesn't think she can take it any more, he stops and she resurfaces.

Taking in huge gulps of air, she blinks the water out of her eyes and looks around. They're near the opposite shore of the pond and she notices that he's lying on his back with her on top and by some miracle, he's still inside her.

"I thought you were going to take me into deeper water," she states in confusion.

_Change of plans,_ he replies. _Keep your head up._

With that he starts to move his body in a wave motion that causes them to start flowing across the water as he grabs hold of her hips. Grabbing hold of his arms, she leans back and closes her eyes as his movements start making those wonderfully delightful feelings to stir in her once more. This time she can moan all she wants.

Before long she can feel the pressure building up again as he moves inside her drawing her closer to the edge. Again and again he pulls in and out occasionally changing his hip position and hitting a new spot causing her to gasp and groan out his name. Suddenly, they start going faster through the water and she can feel him slamming into her repeatedly as they create a sizable wake behind them and she's quickly pushed towards that familiar precipice again.

With one final buck, they both cry out their completion as hands and legs loosen their holds. He slips out from underneath her as she slowly sinks under the wind blown waves of the pond. She at least has enough conscious thought to not try breathing while underwater.

But when her lungs start demanding fresh air, she's not quite with it enough to pull herself back up to the surface. She feebly tries to paddle back up towards the light, but it does little good. Suddenly, something hard hits her in the gut driving what little air that is left in her lungs out. The searing pain in her lungs and the ache in her middle are enough to get enough of her senses back as she starts to struggle to get away from whatever has hold of her totally unaware of her surroundings.

Just when she's sure she's either going to drown or be killed by whatever has hold of her, her head breaks through the surface. She takes in a huge lung full of air and starts coughing as she tries to blink away the spots in front of her eyes. When she's finally able to see straight, she looks down to see that it's Abe who's brought her back up.

"Maybe that wasn't the best idea," he mutters as his head breaks through the surface and he pulls her closer to him.

All she can do is nod as she tries to catch her breath and he lifts himself out of the water enough for her to lay her head on his shoulder. He gently strokes her back as she snuggles into him. Making sure to stay on his back, he starts to slowly swim back towards shore. By the time she even notices that they're moving, they're almost back to where they started from.

"You're kicking me out, aren't you?" she asks sadly.

"I have to," he answers as his foot hits bottom. "You're getting cold and you're tired. Not a good combination to have around water."

She just nods again with a sigh while he carries her from the water. He gently sets her on her feet, picks up her robe and helps her get the item back on since she's shivering too hard to do it herself. Once it's secured, he lifts her up again and carries her towards the house.

"So, was that make up sex for me pushing you down the stairs or you scaring me spitless in the shower?" she asks.

"Hm, don't know," he admits. "I guess we'll just have to keep having sex until we're sure that we've made up for everything."

She chuckles quietly as he takes her up the steps that lead to the house. She starts to squirm a bit, but he just holds her tighter.

"I can walk you know," she grumbles irritably. "My legs aren't broken."

"I just want to make sure you make it back upstairs," he says soothingly.

She grumbles something indiscernible as she nestles into his chest. He just smiles as he continues his trek up to the house. Once inside, he takes her up to the master bathroom, sits her on the seat to the vanity and starts the shower.

Once the water is up to temperature, he strips her and then puts her in. She almost immediately starts to sink to the floor. He quickly catches her and then follows her into the shower. He leans against the wall while holding her up and letting the hot water warm her back up. She just sighs again and leans into him.

"So what's this about being able to walk?" he teases.

"I'd give you a big fat raspberry if it didn't require so much effort," she snarls at him.

"After you're warmed up, you're taking a nap," he orders.

"If you'd just be quiet, we won't have to wait that long," she mutters, leaning more of her weight onto him.

After a few minutes, he realizes that she wasn't lying as he has to hold her sleeping form up. He continues to stand there holding her for quite some time allowing the water to turn her skin from a pallid color to a nice deep pink. He finally turns off the water as it starts to cool, picks her up and carries her out of the shower, not entirely sure what to do with her now.

He stands there for a good minute trying to decide what to do with his sleeping wife. He finally goes with getting her dried before putting her to bed so as not to get the bedding soaked. After grabbing several towels from the linen closet while still holding her in his arms, he sits down on the vanity seat. Very carefully he dries off as much of the water from her that he can. Her hair is the proverbial sponge and there's no getting that completely dry.

With his task complete, he decides he doesn't want to trek down to the pond again so he starts to fill the tub just before heading into the bedroom not really paying attention to the temperature setting. He carefully lies her down on the bed and gently tucks her in. He sits on the edge of the bed and watches her sleep for several minutes.

He finally drags himself away from her amazed at how tired he is. He returns to the bathroom thankful that he still had the brain power to fill the tub earlier. He turns off the tap not even noticing the steam rising from the basin.

He starts to slide into the water and just about hurts himself jumping out. Belatedly, he realizes that he turned on the hot tap. While cold water doesn't bother him, hot water can hurt him.

Not wanting to waste the water, he turns on the cold tap and brings the bath to a more manageable temperature. Within a short time, the water is much more pleasant and he slides in with a sigh of pleasure. He reaches up and turns on the jets and within a very short space of time, he's sound asleep.


	17. Friday Afternoon

Maggie wakes to find her face mashed into her pillow and the pillow damp. After about a minute of wondering, she recalls her last memory of being in the shower. She checks and sure enough, her hair is still moist from said shower.

She yawns and stretches and then moans and winces as her aching muscles and sore bruises protest her actions. She finally sits up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and trying to decide what to do next. She glances at the clock and sees that it's after four in the afternoon.

With a reluctant sigh, she slides out of bed and heads for the closet. After dressing, she goes to check on Abe. She can hear the jets to the bath so he's easy enough to find. After calling his name a few times, it's more than obvious that he's sound asleep.

She trots downstairs and heads out the front door. She's not sure why, but she feels compelled to go check on the red oak out front. When she steps outside, what she sees nearly stops her heart.

The tree must have been struck by lightening the night before because the top is barely hanging onto the rest of the tree and the wood is scorched. At the base of the tree, the dryad lies huddled in a ball and even from across the yard it's easy to see that she's noticeably shaking. Maggie quickly covers the distance to the stricken being.

After dropping to the ground next to her, Maggie pulls the fallen dryad into her lap. She holds and rocks the shivering being, further reinforcing Maggie's fears. Dryads don't liked to be touched and to allow herself to be held can only mean she's in severe shock from the lightening strike. Some time passes before the dryad starts to pull back and Maggie immediately releases her.

_Where have you been?_ the dryad demands.

"I'm sorry," Maggie replies guiltily. "I've been so busy with my own life that I didn't notice that you were hurt. I truly am sorry."

_Can you fix me?_ the dryad asks, only slightly appeased.

"Yes, but I will need to use a saw to do it," Maggie answers, noticing the shudder when she mentions the tool. "I will also need to climb up there."

_Why not just use your power?_ she inquires.

"I can't control my powers right now," Maggie admits.

_Why not?_ the dryad questions.

"Because of the pregnancy," Maggie states. "It's true for all female Keepers. Once she becomes pregnant, she loses her abilities for a short time. I will have to climb up to repair the damage. Will you let me?"

_Yes,_ the dryad answers simply after another shiver courses through her body.

"I'll be right back," Maggie states as she stands back up.

Maggie swiftly runs off to the tool shed and collects what she needs before returning to the damaged tree and badly shaken dryad. She soon comes back with a hand saw, loppers and pruning shears as well as a small can of pitch to cover the soon to be exposed inner wood. The dryad sees the tools and all but goes into convulsions at the mere sight of them.

Working quickly, Maggie pulls the lopper and shears out of the tool belt she's now wearing and then lays them on the ground out of sight for later. She readjusts the saw in the belt along with the can of pitch. Then she kicks off her shoes and then thanks her lucky stars for deciding to put on loose shorts as she starts to shinny up the tree.

She scales the tree easily and once she reaches the damaged area, she finds a good place to position herself as she pulls out the saw. She swiftly cuts through the rest of the top that's been mostly torn from the tree and then throws it clear. After that's been taken care of, she sets to cutting away the damaged parts and then covering the exposed area with pitch to keep out disease and bugs. Once everything is done, she heads back down, happy to have been able to help even without her abilities.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

She practically falls out of the tree as her foot slips with her surprise at that shout. She steadies herself and regains her footing before she looks down to see a very perturbed merman below her.

"Geez, Abe, you trying to give me a heart attack?" she demands as she glares down at him from her perch a good ten feet above him.

"Don't talk to me about heart attacks," he snarls as he stares back at her. "Just stay put, I'll go get a ladder."

"Oh, for heaven sakes, Abe, I'm perfectly capable of climbing out of a tree by myself," she snaps as she starts her decent once more.

"Don't you dare," he growls, stepping closer to the trunk of the tree. "You could fall."

"You're right," she states as she continues her descent. "And I could be hit by a truck tomorrow. Life is uncertain, love. There's nothing you can do about it, but pray for the best and do what you can."

He stands there glaring at her as best he can while she finishes climbing down the oak. As soon as she's within reach, he grabs her and yanks her out of the tree causing the rough bark to scrape up the palms of her hands.

"OW!" she protests loudly. "That hurt."

She looks at her hands, but fortunately none of the scrapes are deep though they still sting. He doesn't answer but just holds her close, back to chest, and she can feel him slightly trembling.

"I'm sorry I frightened you, my love," she starts as she rubs his arms reassuringly. "But the tree was damaged and needed repair. Without my powers, I have to do it in a more mundane fashion then I normally would. Do you understand?"

"Why not call an arborist to do it?" he asks as he buries his face in her hair.

"That would take too long and the dryad needed help now," she explains, looking back over her shoulder.

"What dryad?" he inquires, pulling back a little.

_Who's that?_ asks the dryad who's now standing in front of her.

"The tree's dryad," she answers before turning to the dryad in question. "This is my mate."

"Who are you talking to?" he questions.

_He is of water,_ the dryad states. _Why do you mate with him?_

"The dryad, you won't be able to see or hear her," she responds, starting to feel like she's watching a tennis match as she turns back and forth between the two. "I mate with him because I love him."

She feels him slide his hand up her neck under her hair to the base of her skull and then the suction cups grabbing hold of the skin on her neck. She gasps in surprise and slight discomfort as she can actually, for the first time, feel him inside her mind. She hears and feels him gasp as he sees the dryad for the first time through her eyes.

It has always amused Maggie to see how Hollywood gets the image of the dryad totally wrong. Instead of a tall slender woman with long flowing hair, fair skin and wearing a gauzy dress, here stands a rather short and stocky androgynous being with oak leaves for hair, her skin the color and texture of the bark of her tree and completely, unabashedly naked. While dryads usually don't have a gender, this one has always struck Maggie as being slightly more feminine then others.

_I don't understand,_ the dryad replies. _What is 'love'?_

"It's an emotion like anger or happiness," Maggie explains. "Will you be alright now?"

_Yes, thank you, Keeper,_ the dryad answers just before she turns and disappears into her tree.

As the dryad vanishes from view, Abe releases the back of Maggie's neck and starts to rub the now sore area there. She gladly leans against him as she bows her head, allowing him more access to the offended skin.

"I can understand why you wanted to see the dryad," she mutters, enjoying the gentle massage to the point of almost not being able to form a coherent thought. "But did you really need to use the suction cups?"

"I did that so I could see what you're seeing more easily," he explains. "Otherwise, I might have hurt your mind trying to force my way in. So why exactly were you up there playing Tarzan? You about scared me to death when I saw you up there."

"The thunderstorm last night," she starts. "One of the bolts of lightening struck the tree and sent the dryad into shock. The fact that it took me over twelve hours to notice that something was wrong makes my guilt meter go off the scales."

"If the tree could last that long why not let it wait a little longer for an arborist to take care of it?" he asks.

"Because, Abe, it's my job," she states, finally stepping away from and turning to look up at him. "The Powers that be created Mages for a reason. We're the Keepers of the Earth and it's our job to try and keep everything in balance. But since there are so few of us, we've been having a harder time of it. Especially since the industrial revolution started doing some serious damage to our planet."

"Ok, but please, no more climbing up into trees," he nearly begs.

"I'll stop climbing up into trees as soon as you give up chasing down all the things that go bump in the night," she retorts with her fists on her hips.

"But that's my job," he states in surprise.

"Exactly," she responds as she pokes a finger at his foam neoprene clad chest. "I'm failing to see how climbing a tree is more dangerous than facing a hellhound."

"You could fall and break your neck," he replies weakly.

"And you could get yourself turned into fish fillets," she states, a bit snappishly.

With that, she turns on her heel, gets her shoes back on, walks over to the downed bit of tree, picks up the loppers and starts to cut off the larger branches from the severed trunk. He watches her for about a minute before he joins her, picks up the shears and begins to cut the removed branches down even farther. After about twenty minutes or so, they've finally gotten the large chunk of tree down to more manageable piles.

"Ok, so now what?" he asks.

"The smaller branches and leaves go into the mulch pile and the rest goes into the wood shed," she tells him.

"I find it hard to believe that you use a wood burning fireplace," he states a bit perplexed.

"I only burn dead fall," she replies. "There's probably a ton of it out there in the forest now thanks to that storm last night. I should go get as much of it as I can before it becomes a fire hazard. One of our rescued horses is a draft horse and I've got a cart just for this, so there's no real heavy lifting. Want to come help me? We might end up spending the rest of our honeymoon only collecting wood, just for fair warning."

"It'll make a nice change of pace," he states. "But there had better be plenty of rest breaks in there. I won't let you over exert yourself."

"Worry wart," she grumbles. "Fine, we'll take lots of breaks."

"Good," he nods. "Now, how do we get this stuff where we need it to be?"

She takes him back to the tool shed and pulls out a wheel barrow, rake and a flat edge shovel after she's put away the other tools she had out. She gets to follow Abe back to the oak as he pushes the wheel barrow with the shovel and rake inside of it. Over the next fifteen minutes or so they spend cleaning up the area around the oak with Abe insisting on doing the majority of the work. Once they're done, Maggie feels like she wants to take a long hot bath for about a month.

"No hot baths," he warns.

"Ease dropper," she grumbles.

"Why don't you go take a shower while I get dinner started?" he suggests.

"As lovely as that sounds, I need to go check on Magick," she replies. "I should be back in time to set the table."

"All right," he says as he leans down and gently kisses her. "But no climbing trees without my help."

"Worry wart," she teases as she turns and starts to head down the hill.

She returns about a minute later, grabs the key to Magick's barn and then heads down the hill once more. After spending time with her horse, getting the stall cleaned and feeding him, she finally leaves the barn. Helen is waiting for her as she's exiting.

"Hi, Helen," Maggie greets. "What's up?"

"Hi, I was just wondering if Abe was ok," Helen replies.

"He's doing much better, thanks," Maggie states. "How's Doug?"

"In the dog house," Helen states. "Literally and figuratively speaking that is. I've been after him for months to fix the dog doors on some of the kennels, and now he's finally doing it. And after that he's going to finally make me that bookcase I've been wanting."

"You're just loving this, aren't you?" Maggie laughs.

"Well, I don't love what he did to Abe," Helen admits with first a grimace and then a smile. "But I am enjoying the repercussions."

"It's a good thing you married yourself a carpenter," Maggie chuckles.

"Thanks to you," Helen reminds her.

"And after helping you find the love of your life, I sent you two to Hawaii on your honeymoon with a camera and several rolls of film," Maggie reminisces. "I always wondered why you never even finished off that first roll and why all the pictures were of your room and the restaurants that you two ate at." Maggie looks Helen straight into her eyes. "Now I know why."

Both women have a good laugh for the next couple of minutes. They remember how confused Maggie had been over the lack of photos that were taken and the even fewer details about the islands that the couple could give her. They continue to chuckle until Helen notices something on the side of Maggie's neck.

"What's that?" Helen asks.

"What's what?" Maggie counter asks.

"There's something on the side of your neck," Helen says as she takes a closer look. "It looks like a smudge of dirt or something."

"I don't feel anything," Maggie states slightly mystified as she runs her hand over the side of her neck.

"Oh, never mind, it's not dirt," Helen snickers.

"Then what is it?" Maggie asks.

"You mean you've never had one before?" Helen counter asks.

"Had one what?" Maggie demands totally confused at this point.

"You've got hickey," Helen laughs as Maggie turns so red she could probably glow in the dark.

"At any rate, the storm last night has knocked down a bunch of firewood for us," Maggie states as she desperately tries to change the subject. "Abe and I will be out collecting as much of it as we can tomorrow. Would you please hook up Tumbleweed to the cart in the morning for me?"

"Sure," Helen responds while trying to bring her laughter under control. "What time would you like him brought up?"

"7:00 if that wouldn't be too much trouble for you," Maggie replies.

"7:00 is fine," Helen affirms as an occasional giggle escapes her lips and she's unable to resist one final tease. "I'll see you in the morning. Try not to be too disheveled when I get there."

Instead of crawling under a rock and hiding like she wants to, Maggie heads back up the hill determined to have a talk to a certain sucker fish that's currently making dinner. Once there, she finds that Abe is almost done making dinner so she quickly washes up and then sets the table. Dinner is a quite and pleasant affair as Maggie tells Abe what to expect when they go to collect wood the next day. In all of the hustle and bustle, she completely forgets about the hickey.

After dinner, she cleans the kitchen before going to find her mate who's wandered off. She finds him in the family room, sitting on the couch, reading another book and she notices the book lying on the table next to him. She goes over to the bookcase and pulls out a couple of books of her own. She pulls 'The Joy of Sex' out of his hands and replaces it with one of hers.

"Try some Agatha Christie," she suggests as she puts the absconded book on the coffee table. "There's such a thing as too much research."

"I would think you'd enjoy my research," he says with a wicked grin on his beautiful blue face.

"I have, my dear," she assures him with a small kiss on the forehead. "But if you do any more research I'm going to have to take up walking on my hands since I won't be able to get my feet close enough together to effectively walk upright any more."

"Very well," he concedes as he picks up the second book. "But you should be doing some research of your own now."

"I'll do that later," she tells him while she settles down next to him on the couch. "Right now, I just want to enjoy a quiet evening with my husband."

"I think I'd like that," he states.

He props his feet up on the coffee table and then carefully wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. She gladly snuggles up to him before opening her book and getting lost in its pages.

She's not sure how much time has passed, but when she looks up, she can see that it's dark outside. She looks over at Abe and notices that he's back to reading "The Joy of Sex."

"Didn't you like 'And Then There Were None'?" she asks.

"Finished it," he answers simply as he turns the page.

She mumbles something about blasted speed readers as he pulls her closer and she lays her head on his chest. She closes her eyes and starts to gently stroke the arm around her. She stops when she notices the texture is all wrong. She knows what he's skin is supposed to feel like when it's dry, but this seems even worse then that.

"What's wrong with your skin?" she inquires worriedly.

"It's dry," he replies, turning yet another page.

"I know what your skin feels like when it's normally dry, Abe," she states. "This is somehow worse. So what's wrong with it?"

"It's nothing, I'll be fine," he responds still not taking his eyes off the page he's reading.

She yanks the book out of his hand and tosses it to the other end of the couch. Before he can move to retrieve it, she flips herself onto his lap straddling his legs with hers and facing him. He looks at her and blinks the nictitating membranes a couple of times in surprise to the unhappy look on her face.

"What's wrong with your skin?" she demands.

He leans over to kiss her and she stops him with a hand on his chest.

"Don't you dare try to distract me," she warns. "Now answer my question."

"My skin isn't used to being in so much fresh water," he finally replies after having a staring contest with her and losing. "It's causing my skin to dry out more than normal."

"That explains why you no longer smell like the sea," she states. "I thought I was just getting used to your scent. Ok, so you need salt in your water. That's easy enough to fix in the bath, but I can't do anything about the pond."

"I'm afraid table salt won't do," he replies. "It has iodine added to it. Besides, getting the right balance is difficult. Too little will do me almost no good and too much will actually hurt me. My tank is constantly being tested and adjusted to keep it balanced. Just throwing a bunch of salt into the tub won't do any good I'm afraid."

"I can't not do anything about this," she moans and then leans her forehead against his chest. "Do I need to take you back?"

"I'd rather not go," he answers as he carefully pulls her towards him.

"How salty does the water need to be?" she asks as she lies against him, resting her cheek on his chest.

"It needs to be the same salinity as tears," he responds.

He gently starts to stroke her as he reaches for the book she grabbed from him. It's out of reach so he goes for the book she had been reading. She relaxes into him and while her body is not moving, her mind is working furiously trying to figure something out. A half forgotten memory is niggling at the back of her brain and it's driving her crazy.

About a quarter of the way through the book, she suddenly explodes out of his lap and goes charging out of the room and up the stairs. He senses happiness, so he knows she's not upset, but she leaves so quickly that he doesn't get a chance to pull from her mind what that was all about. With a shrug, he goes back to the book he was reading.

Several minutes later she comes tromping down the stairs and then out the door that leads to the garage. A few minutes after that, she reenters the house and disappears into the kitchen. Then it's back out into the garage for a couple of minutes before heading for the closet in the front hall. When she comes back into the family room she's now carrying his trousers from the wedding, a trench coat and a fedora.

"Here, put these on," she commands as she drops the items in his lap.

"What for?" he asks.

Her mind is such a buzz of activities right now he can't pick anything up.

"We're going for a car ride," she tells him with a self satisfied smile on her lips.

"Ok, why?" he inquires, curious to see where she's taking this.

"You said that you needed water that had the same salt content as tears, right?" she asks back.

"Yes, I did," he answers. "So?"

"So, were going to the beach," she happily states.

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the rights to 'The Joy of Sex' by Alex Comfort or 'And Then There Were None' by Agatha Christie. 


	18. Beach Trip

"As thrilled as I am that you know that sea water and tears have the same salinity," he states, eyeing the clothes she's just handed him with great trepidation, "have you thought this entirely through?"

"No, and if you're smart, neither will you," she replies, obviously very pleased with herself and nearly bouncing up and down with pent up energy.

"Maggie…" he starts with a tone of voice that says he's going to try and be logical about her little adventure.

"No, Abe," she interrupts rather harshly before softening her tone as she reaches out and gently touches his face. "You've been taking care of me all this week. Please let me take care of you for a change. Please."

He looks up into her sad pleading eyes and immediately caves. He figures it's probably best not to let her know how the big sad puppy dog look affects him, so his gaze falls back down at the clothes she dropped in his lap.

"Ok, I know where the pants came from, but where did the hat and coat come from?" he inquires.

"Uncle John left them here after the wedding," she answers. "Or more precisely, Aunt Stephanie managed to get John drunk enough that he forgot about them when they left."

"Why haven't they tried to get them back?" he questions as he turns the fedora over in his hands.

"I imagine Grandmother has threatened bodily harm to anyone who disturbs us this week," she replies with a shrug. "Besides, my aunt has been trying to get rid of these things for ages; she's been tired of his Humphrey Bogart look for years now. Of course, this just means that John's going to go shopping for new ones, but that's not my headache. My headache is trying to get your skinny, blue, scaly butt off of the couch and into the car."

"That does explain why he kept saying, 'Here's looking at you, kid,'" he states, still very hesitant about the whole thing. "The pants won't fit over the shorts."

"We'll bring them and you can put them on later if you need them," she tells him. "I'm more worried about keeping the upper half of you covered for now."

"These won't fool any one who sees me," he points out.

"They will if they only see you through the tinted windows of the car," she counters. "Now come on, we're wasting darkness."

He hesitates a moment longer only to find the hat suddenly crammed onto his head and her yanking him onto his feet while he barely manages to hold onto the clothes in his arms. He doesn't fight as she drags him out to the garage, opens the passenger door and all but shoves him into the waiting Jag. He shrugs into the trench coat that's too big for him as she hits the garage door opener before going around the car and getting in.

He slides into the seat next to her and puts on his seatbelt as she starts the car. She carefully pulls out of the garage and then heads out the gate as he gets comfortable and takes a good look around at the plush interior. He runs his hand over the seat, but something doesn't seem quite right so he starts to take his glove off.

"It's synthetic," she states as she shifts into a higher gear.

"Excuse me?" he asks, slightly startled.

"The leather, it's synthetic," she replies.

"Ah, that explains why it seems a bit off," he responds as he pulls his glove back into place.

They drive on in silence for a while as he enjoys his first car ride sitting in the front seat. After spending so many years being dragged from one place to another in the back of a garbage truck, this is very enjoyable experience. She watches him out of the corner of her eye and smiles as he watches the world go by like a kid in a candy store. It breaks her heart to think how the government keeps him locked up and hidden away from the world like a virtual prisoner only to be let out on occasion and even then he's kept on an electronic leash. She looks down at her display panel and lets out a groan.

"What's the matter?" he asks without taking his eyes off of the world speeding by.

"I need to get gas," she answers a bit angry with herself for not doing it the last time she went out.

"That's ok, I don't mind waiting a little longer to get to the beach," he replies.

"Except that gas stations have cameras and people," she points out. "But we have no choice, the car's about sucking fumes at this point. If we're lucky, the gas station won't be busy."

Several minutes pass in more silence before she pulls up into a thankfully empty gas station as far from the attendant's window as physically possible. She grabs her purse and starts to dig through it for her credit cards.

"I've really have to clean this thing out," she mutters as she pulls her cell phone out and drops it in Abe's lap.

She finally finds what she's looking for, grabs it and quickly gets out of the car. He stares at the phone for a few seconds as a plan starts to formulate in his brain. He takes a glove off, briefly touches her mind, opens the phone and dials a number he knows but never thought he'd use. Having eidetic memory does have its advantages every once and awhile. He barely finishes the call and snaps the phone shut just as she's getting back into the car. He hands back the phone as she tosses her credit card back into her purse.

"Oh, thanks," she says as she stuffs it back to where it belongs. "I keep losing this thing."

She starts the engine and leaves the station just as another car pulls in. Abe happily watches the scenery go by as they make their way to the shore. What seems to be way too little time later they pull into an empty parking lot far from the main road overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the nearly half moon is just starting to come up over the horizon.

"Now if we hurry, we can get you into the water before the moon is fully up," she starts as she turns and looks at him.

She never gets a chance to finish telling him her plans as his lips come crashing down on hers. She lets out a little squeak of surprise as his emotions overwhelm her senses. She closes her eyes and rides the waves of feelings that are flooding her very being.

"Abe," she gasps when he finally lets her up for air.

"Need you," he growls into her neck. "Want you. Now."

He nibbles and kisses her neck and her head rolls back to give him freer access to it. She can feel him starting to pull her shirt out of her pants and she can no more stop his assault on her then she can stop her own heart from beating, not that she wants to. Soon the shirt is free of its mooring and a gloveless hand is up it, caressing a breast through the lace of her bra. She's fairly sure she was wearing her seatbelt, but it's gone now as he pushes her against her door.

She whimpers as her own need grows and he continues to caress and fondle her body taking her well pass the point of reason. She reaches for him and starts to try and work him out of his way to many layers of clothing. He barely interrupts his attack as he slips out of the coat and her hands find the buckles to his top.

The power to form coherent thoughts is gone; all that is left is need and want. Their moans fill the small space of the car until the lights of another vehicle shine in through the window. Maggie immediately tries to push Abe down into her lap so he won't be seen, but her struggles are in vain as he sits up and turns to watch the new car park a few spaces away from them.

She nearly goes into full cardiac arrest as the driver cuts the engine and opens the driver's door. When she sees that it's John Myers, she's sure that some vessel is about to pop. She starts to shake as involuntary tears course down her cheeks. Abe immediately swings back around at the feeling of her distress.

"He's come to take you back," she sobs as hysteria starts to take hold. "Manning told me not to take you off the property, that if I did he'd come and take you away, and now he's sent John to take you back and it's my entire fault. I'm sorry, Abe, I'm so sorry."

"John isn't here to take me back to the bureau," he tries to reassure her as he caresses her cheek. "He's here because I called him. He's doing me a favor. A really big favor."

"What big favor?" she sniffles as the tears start to ebb.

"He brought me some special equipment," he answers with a small mysterious smile. "Come and see."

With that, he opens his door and exits. After hastily wiping her face and a few sniffs, she follows suit and goes over to the sedan that John drove. By the light of the trunk of John's car she can see a large metal cylinder lying on the ground with some type of harness resting next to it and John's pulling out a strange thing that consists of a metal piece about the size of his hand with four rubber tubes coming off of it. It takes her a moment to realize that it's scuba diving equipment that he's brought.

"What do you need this stuff for?" she asks in confusion.

"It's not for me," he answers. "It's for you."

She just looks at him with utter bewilderment while he starts to chuckle. John just continues to finish getting the gear put together in silence, essentially ignoring them.

"You're the one who dragged me out here," Abe continues. "So I'm dragging you in."

Shear panic sets in and Abe manages to catch her before she bolts and then holds her to him. She's trembling so hard he's surprised she isn't vibrating right out of her own skin.

"What's wrong?" he asks since he can't get a clear reading from her racing mind. "My tank is deeper then the water I intend to take you in and you handled that just fine."

"Need I remind you what nearly happened that night?" she bites out angrily as she tries to push away from him and fails. "Your tank is a small contained area with lots of people around to help if there's trouble. This is the ocean and there's only you and what if something happens to you and suddenly I'm out there by myself and it's dark and…"

He kisses her cutting off the panic induced babbling. He knows there's more to it then what she's said, but he lets it go for now. He sends her thoughts of reassurance and comfort and slowly, ever so slowly she starts to calm down. When he finally lets her breathe again, she's still shaking, but not as violently as before. She buries her face into his chest pushing aside his open top as he gently strokes her back mindful of the bruises there. He looks over at John who's finished assembling the gear and is now closing the trunk of his car.

_Please come back in a couple of hours, _Abe thinks at him and John nods his agreement. _And bring a friend._

John pauses, looks at the merman for a few moments before he reluctantly nods again with a sigh. He gets back in his car as he silently wonders to himself when he lost his mind, knowing that if Manning ever finds out about this, he is so out of a job. A moment later, he starts the engine and drives away leaving the two lovers standing in the parking lot.

"I'm afraid," she whispers several minutes later.

"I know," he replies quietly. "I won't let anything happen to you. I swear."

"I didn't bring a bathing suit," she points out still not moving from the safety of his embrace.

"Good, then I won't have to keep track of it after I strip it off of you," he chuckles and she finally leans back to look at him in the moonlight. "When I said that I needed and wanted you, I wasn't joking."

With that he claims her lips once more and reminds her of what they had been doing before John's arrival. She tries to fight, she really does, but it's no use. Soon, she's a mindless blob being pushed against the car as he sticks his hand into one of her pants' pockets and fishes out her keys. He pops the trunk open with the remote and then pulls away from her.

"Stay here," he whispers into her ear before letting her go.

She barely manages to stay upright as he rummages around in the trunk for some of the things she's packed. When he finds what he wants, he shuts the trunk, grabs the tank by its harness and takes everything out to the beach. He returns a few minutes later to find her trying not to go back into a blind panic.

He scoops her up into his arms, locks the car doors with the remote and then carries her out to the blanket he's spread on the ground. He kneels down and gently lays her on the blanket. Before he has a chance to sit back up, she tackles him and he ends up flat on his back with a grunt.

Her lips claim his this time as she starts to pull his top the rest of the way off. He chuckles deep in throat as her intent becomes clear. He gladly lets her strip him down to his shorts as he returns the favor until she's only wearing her undergarments all the while their hands and lips are driving each other well past the point of sanity.

Her bra and panties are gone within a matter of seconds while it takes a bit more work to get his shorts off. She gets off of him long enough to accomplish this task, but before she can pin him down once more he sits up and pulls her towards him.

"Maggie," he whispers in her ear as he caresses all the right places. "Come with me into the water."

She whimpers her fear as she buries her face into his chest again and she begins to shake with terror. The memories and feelings that are going through her mind are so strong that it's like she's screaming them at the top of her lungs, but there's nothing coherent enough for him to grab onto.

"I'll keep you safe," he reassures her again, sending her feelings of love and reassurance. "I won't let anything happen to you. I love you. I'll protect you, I swear."

He continues whispering words of comfort, but still she quakes in fear. It seems that no mater what he says she remains in a state of near blind panic. After several minutes of getting nowhere he gently but firmly makes her look up at him.

"Tell me what's wrong," he insists. "Why are you so afraid?"

"Sharks," she whimpers, her eyes are wide with fear.

"Being afraid of sharks is normal," he points out. "But it appears you have Selachophobia."

"They never found my parent's bodies," she responds with a shaky voice. "They said that they were probably eaten by sharks and mako sharks are very common in the Hawaiian Islands and makos are known man eaters and there are makos in the Atlantic and..."

"Makos are pelagic swimmers and are seldom found towards shore," he interrupts as he places a silencing finger on her lips. "I'll keep you safe. I swear I won't let anything happen to you. We won't go very deep and we'll stay near the bottom."

"How deep is not very deep?" she asks around his finger.

"Just deep enough that we're not being pounded by the waves," he answers, lowering his hand and going back to stroking her. "You faced your fears once before for me, please do it again."

She looks at him for a few moments more before she leans her forehead against his chest. She runs her hands down the well chiseled muscles of said chest and down across the tight six pack of his abs. As she draws closer to his arousal, he lets out an involuntary moan that resonates through his whole body.

"Can't we just do it here?" she asks as she grabs a hold of his erection causing to gasp and his gills to flare.

"I didn't think you were into exhibitionism," he manages to choke out as she rubs her thumb over the tip of his penis.

She finally takes in her moonlit surroundings and lets out an "eep" of surprise as she lets go of him and starts to try covering herself with whatever she can lay her hands on. He grabs her hands and brings them to his lips, placing a kiss on the palm of each one. She lets out a whimpering mewl as she pulls her legs up to try and hide her exposed bits.

"Please face your fears," he whispers in her ear while he presses her hands against his chest. "It's not healthy to have such a strong phobia."

"I don't know, it's been working fine so far in my life," she retorts with a shaky voice. "I don't go into the ocean and the sharks don't come onto land. Pretty good deal if you ask me."

He chuckles low in his throat as his lips search out sensitive areas and finally find the large muscle in her neck just below her ear. He nibbles and nips at it causing her to groan in response. Her head lolls to the side and he immediately latches onto the skin there causing her heart to race, her breath to come in ragged gasps and moans to escape her lips. While he works her neck and sends her hormones into overdrive, he sends thoughts of safety and calm to her as he checks the surrounding waters for danger.

"Join me," he mumbles in her ear when he feels she's calmed down enough. "There are no sharks in the area."

She hesitates for a moment until one of his hands finds her nipple and starts to tease it into hardness. Another whimper is uttered as she simply nods her answer. He reaches over and snags the scuba gear. After slinging the straps over his shoulders, he slowly pulls her to her feet, all the while continuing to play havoc on her senses as he strokes and caresses various parts of her body.

While walking backwards, he slowly leads her down to the waters edge. He sends thoughts and feelings of safety and serenity as he continues to kiss and stroke her. It works until a wave rushes up and covers her feet right up to the ankles and then she stops dead in her tracks.

He doubles his efforts and after several minutes of silent encouragement, she begins to move again. A short eternity later, he's up to his neck in the wonderfully refreshing water. He can feel his skin greedily absorb the moisture, replenishing his hide as he moves with the sway of the ocean. It feels so good that he almost loses his concentration on the warm body in his arms.

Her arms are wrapped around his shoulders and her legs around his waist, and she's holding on for dear life. He knows it's now or never so he pulls his face away from her sweet body.

"Do you trust me?" he asks and he can feel a shiver run through her body before she answers.

"Yes," she barely whispers, staring him in the eyes.

"Open your mouth wide," he quietly orders.

When she finally complies, he sticks the mouth piece of the respirator in and then slowly starts to submerge. She instinctively bites down on the piece of plastic that's been placed there, works her lips around the rubber guard and starts to breathe through her mouth as she feels the cool water engulf her face. She closes her eyes as she puts all of her faith and trust in her husband.

She ignores the part of her brain that is screaming in terror and instead concentrates on the sound of Abe's voice telling her that he loves her; that he will protect her; that she is safe. She lets his thoughts fill her being while his hands and lips flood her senses.

She's not sure when she loosened her grip on him, but she suddenly becomes aware of his tongue delightfully torturing a nipple and a groan reverberates through her chest. She can feel him smiling against her skin as he works his way to the other nipple waiting for him. By the time he's done torturing those delectable pink buds to full hardness, she's ready to bite through the mouth piece.

Since the moment she mentioned going to the beach, he's wanted to get her into the water with him, the only problem was how. Then she dropped the answer into his lap at the gas station and his need for her grew ten fold. Now he has her here and the feeling of her wet skin rubbing against him has brought him to such hardness that he's fairly sure he can cut diamonds at this point.

One thing that Maggie has learned over the past few days is that love making is a full contact sport that involves full participation of all players and she decides it's time for her to join in the game. She moves her face closer to his neck, finding her way by feel, takes a deep breath and then pulls the respirator out of her mouth. Her lips quickly find their target and just as quickly start to work on driving him crazy.

The instant her mouth finds his skin, he feels almost every blood corpuscle in his body head for his groin. He groans as her tongue finds his gills and he presses her body into his as she continues to nibble, lick and kiss her way to his lips. When their lips touch all abilities to reason are lost and starts to hasten their decent towards the bottom of the ocean.

They only get about another ten feet down before she stiffens and whimpers in pain. She stuffs the mouth piece back in her mouth and starts to pull away from him. He swiftly discovers the source of her discomfort and moves back up a few feet until she stops struggling. The pressure behind her ears lessens as they ascend, but it's still very uncomfortable.

"Pop your ears," he tells her. "You need to equalize the pressure in your eustachian tubes."

She follows his instructions and the alleviation from pain is instantaneous. With a sigh of relief, she pulls him towards her again and his arms wrap around her returning her embrace.

"We're going deeper, so remember to pop your ears whenever you start to feel the pressure building up," he instructs her as he puts actions to words.

She keeps that in mind as she takes another deep breath, removes the respirator and starts to work on his shoulder between his neck and the strap. She latches onto said shoulder and starts to suck on it as his body shivers with anticipation of what's to come. She soon learns that the sucking action causes her ears to pop naturally, so she redoubles her efforts for as long as she can, taking breaths when she needs only to go back to what she had been previously doing.

By the time they reach the sandy bottom, he's fairly sure that they're going to need to pad the walls of his tank when he gets back to the bureau. He touches the ground just as she's pulling the respirator out of her mouth again and his lips quickly claim hers. Salt water fills mouths as tongues wrestle for dominance while their passions hit a new fevered pitch. He pushes the mouth piece back into her mouth as she starts to get light headed and her grasp on him loosens again.

After a couple of deep breaths, the dizziness passes and she becomes very aware of the rock hard member trapped in-between them. He's back to nuzzling her ear and neck and she just can't take it any more. She pulls him closer as she thrusts her hips forward pushing into his erection.

He makes a sound between a growl and a moan as he grabs her hips and positions her so that the head is pushing against her opening. He pauses for a moment while she shakes with anticipation. He knows that if he pushes this to fast, it'll be over even before it's begun so he waits a few seconds to pull himself under control. She on the other hand isn't willing to wait that long and starts trying to push herself down onto him. Unfortunately for her, he still has a hold of her hips.

"Easy, my love," he whispers in her ear. "Let's not end this before it's started."

She whimpers her response as he continues to hold her still. Once he's sure that he can make it last for a little while, he slowly lowers her down his shaft eliciting a moan from her that starts at her toes and works its way up through her throat. She holds him tighter with her legs as he starts to swim, undulating in and out of her.

He starts slowly at first as they cling to each other like barnacles. She urges him to go faster but he stubbornly refuses. It's a delightful torture feeling him sliding in and out of her, his body moving against hers, his skin rubbing against her nipples nearly driving her to the point of desperation. A brief thought of using a riding crop brings him to a dead stop.

"You wouldn't dare," he states in shock.

Her eyes fly open as she lets out a whimper of frustration. The only thing she can see are his glowing eyes so she closes her eyes again as she pushes her hips into him trying to get him moving again. He refuses to move, disturbed by the image of the riding crop as she gets more and more upset by his lack of movement.

_Damn it, Abe! Make love to me or take me back up,_ she all but screams in her mind.

He chuckles softly as he starts to swim again, this time a little bit faster. They quickly lose themselves to the feeling of their love making. She moans her pleasure as the feeling of his cool hardness pumps in and out of her. He absorbs her warmth, driving him to swim faster and faster. The pressure builds like a giant bubble until it finally bursts as they both scream their completions.

Her heart rate and breathing slowly return to normal and by some miracle, she hasn't lost the respirator. He holds her to him closing both sets of eyelids as the gently rocking motion of the ocean starts to lull him to sleep. She doesn't mind being held or the fact that she has no idea where she is, but she is starting to get cold and she's starting to shiver.

She can start to feel him relax against her and it has her worried since now would be a bad time for a nap. Before she can do anything though, something large brushes against them causing her to scream and the respirator to fall out of her mouth. Roused by the alien contact and Maggie's scream, Abe grabs her with one arm as he struggles to find the mouth piece with his other hand.

After several seconds of trying to hold onto a terrified naked woman, he finally manages to grab hold of the respirator. He waits until she stops struggling and he doesn't have long to wait as what little oxygen that's left in her lungs begins to run out. He shoves the item back into her mouth and she takes a long pull off of it. He can feel her terror as she shakes so hard that he's glad she's now clinging to him.

He takes a look around to see what hit them and quietly chuckles as they're bumped again. This time she only squeaks as she holds onto him so hard he's fairly sure she's about to break a rib or three. He places one of his hands at the back of her neck and latches on with the suction cups.

"See them through my eyes," he whispers.

Instead of entering her mind like he normally does, he pulls her into his. At first it feels like she's falling and then suddenly she stops. She's shared space with animals before, but it's nothing compared to this. It's the most incredible thing she's ever experienced in her life. She can see, hear and feel everything as he does while still being aware of her own body. She can hear and feel herself gasp in surprise through him and herself and everything seems very surreal.

She finally concentrates on the fact that she can now see though the colors are a bit off from what she's used to. She notices a lot of blues, purples and greens, but mostly blue and purple. She catches movement out of the corner of his eye and he obliges by moving his head so she can see what it is.

A large torpedo shaped body quickly swims past them and she can fill herself shiver both externally and internally until she finally is able to recognize the form. She relaxes slightly as he looks around them, allowing her to see the creatures that have surrounded them. As her fear subsides, she's finally able to notice the sounds of clicks and whistles that the nearly one dozen dolphins are making.

_It seems our, um, activities have attracted this pod,_ he thinks as they watch another dolphin brush past them.

She wonders why a pod of dolphins would be so close to shore and she feels him stiffen.

_They're not close to shore,_ he admits with chagrin.

She instantly starts to panic and he immediately pulls her closer and starts to swim towards shore, scattering dolphins as he goes. He's not sure if he can keep this pace up, but he knows that he's pushed his luck as far as he dares with her. He also knows that once she calms down, he's going to get an ear full, figuratively speaking.

Suddenly, a dolphin appears next to them, keeping pace. A second later another one joins the first on the other side of them. Soon they are surrounded by a couple more of the dolphins. Swimming becomes less taxing and he realizes that the pod is helping them get to shore pushing them along in their wakes.

Within minutes they're close enough to shore that he can feel the waves forming on the surface above them. The dolphins leave them one by one until it's just the two of them once more. A short time later, he's carrying her out of the surf and onto the sand. He sheds the scuba gear, dries her off, redresses her and then wraps her in the blanket.

After getting his shorts back on, he sits down with her between his legs. He wraps his arms around her and pulls her to his chest. She turns her head so that she can glare at him over her shoulder. He holds her tighter and kisses her temple.

"I'm sorry," he begins. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I won't ever make you go out there again. I swear."

She gives him one final glare before she turns back to looking at the ocean bathed in the moonlight. After a while, she relaxes and leans into him. A short time later he realizes she's fallen asleep.

He looks around and finds her keys half buried in the sand. After shaking the sand out of them, he carries her back to the car and puts her in the passenger seat. Just as he's shutting the door, he hears the sound of a car engine. Raising a hand, he senses who it is and he waits for their arrival.

A few seconds later, headlights flood the parking lot with their brightness. A moment later the sedan with the handicap plates parks near him. John gets out of the passenger side and stares at the merman in disbelief while Guillermo rolls down his window.

"Are you nuts, Abe?" John demands. "Someone could have seen you."

"I knew it was you," Abe replies with a shrug.

"So what are we doing out here in the middle of the night?" Guillermo asks a look of amusement on his face.

"I need one of you to drive Maggie home," Abe answers. "And I need the other to drive me back to her place before dawn."

"Ok, now I know you're crazy," John states. "If Manning finds out about this…"

"Then I'll take full responsibility," Abe interrupts. "Please, just make sure Maggie gets home safe."

With a resigned sigh, John holds his hand out for the keys which Abe gladly hands over.

"Is there anything you need from the car?" John grumbles as he heads for the driver's side of the car.

"Ah, yes," Abe responds as he returns to the car.

He quickly gets out the fedora and trench coat from the front seat, careful not to wake Maggie.

"By the way, the code to the gate is 7873," Abe informs the agent.

"Thanks," John mutters while he settles into the driver's seat. "What am I supposed to do after I get her home?"

"Just put her to bed, blanket and all," Abe replies. "You can use one of the guest bedrooms until Guillermo and I get back."

"Fine," John sighs as he tries to figure out how to adjust the seat.

Abe quietly chuckles as he closes the door and then goes to Guillermo, handing him the hat and coat. He returns to the beach and collects his gear and the scuba equipment. He comes back to the parking lot to find John still fussing with the seat as he puts the scuba gear in the trunk and his stuff in the front with the rest of the clothes.

Abe finally takes pity on poor John and goes to help the agent who still hasn't figured out how to move the seat though he has opened the trunk, turned on the headlights and honked the horn a couple of times. In a matter of seconds Abe has the seat adjusted for John and shortly thereafter the two are on their way.

Meanwhile, Guillermo is watching this whole thing and trying not to bust a seam laughing. Abe smiles at the man before taking off at a dead run across the beach and diving into the sea. Guillermo settles down to take a nap while Abe rejoins the dolphins in a bit of play before finding a spot to settle down and go to sleep.


	19. Saturday

_She's floating in pitch black water. Something brushes against her. She knows what it is. It's death. Another bumps into her, and another. She thrashes wildly, yelling, trying to drive them away, and not willing to go without a fight._

"MAGGIE! MAGGIE, WAKE UP!"

With a groan, she rolls over and looks up into concerned blue eyes that have some serious baggage underneath them. She glances at the clock and lets out another groan. With a sigh, she casts her gaze back up at the man standing over her.

"Thanks, John," she mumbles with a voice still scratchy with sleep. "Why don't you go back to bed and try and get some sleep? I might as well get up."

"But it's 4:30 in the morning," he protests. "You should be getting some sleep too."

"John, you've woken me from three nightmares so far," she reminds him as she struggles her way out of the blanket she's cocooned in. "It's pointless for us both to keep waking up. Uncle and Abe should be back soon, so just go to bed. I'll wake you when they get here."

"But…," he begins to argue.

"No, 'buts,' young man, now go to bed," she orders.

"You're not much of a morning person are you?" he asks jokingly.

"Actually, I am a morning person, I'm just not a lack of sleep person," she states as she finishes kicking off the last of the blanket. "Now go to bed."

"Yes, Mom," John chuckles as he heads out of the room.

She stares at his retreating back wondering if Abe told him before deciding that the agent was just trying to be funny. She turns back to the bed and starts to fold the extra blanket but stops when a load of sand is dumped onto the floor. She makes an exasperated sound when she sees sand all over the bed as well.

She pulls the comforter off of the bed and then strips it of its sheets, trying to be careful not to get any more sand on the floor. As soon as that's done, she notices that there's still sand on the bed and decides that the only way to really get rid of the tiny pieces of silicate is to vacuum them up. Since she doesn't want to wake John again, she leaves it and heads for the bathroom.

After taking a long hot shower which makes her feel slightly more human, she goes to do her post shower routine and stops dead in her tracks as she stares at herself in the mirror. It seems her sucker fish has been busy again. She examines the second hickey that adorns her neck and sighs. At least they're a matched set with one on each side of her neck. After combing out her hair and leaving it down to try to cover the marks on her neck, she dresses for the day and heads downstairs. She goes to the kitchen where she grabs herself a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice and then wanders into the office thinking of getting more work done. Once there she notices the mess on the floor from her and Abe's activities the other night.

She starts to clean up the mess between bites and discovers the keyboard didn't survive their amorous endeavors. With a growl, she finishes cleaning and eating at about the same time. Between the nightmares, lack of sleep, sand in the bed, hickeys and the broken keyboard, she's not a happy camper at this point.

After returning her empty bowl to the kitchen, she heads for the basement. It's time to work on the much neglected laundry.

* * *

"She could have broken her neck," Abe grouses. 

"Not bloody well likely," Guillermo laughs as he navigates the roads towards Maggie's house. "That girl has been climbing trees since before she could ride a horse. And let me tell you something, that was pretty damn young. Besides, she's an Earth Mage; nothing's going to happen to her up in a tree."

"An Earth Mage without powers," Abe grumbles.

"What do you mean 'without powers'?" Guillermo demands just before comprehension dawns on him. "What a minute, you don't mean she's already pregnant do you?"

Abe couldn't have stopped the smile creeping across his lips even if he wanted to and that's all the answer Guillermo needs as the man starts to laugh heartily for a good minute.

"That girl never does do anything by halves," Guillermo states finally catching his breath back. "Well, congratulations, Abe. I feel sorry for that kid though. He or she is never going to be able to get into any mischief with you as the father."

"One can certainly hope," Abe chuckles not feeling like telling him the rest of the secret. "Do you have a cell phone? I want to call John and let him know we're on our way."

"It's in the glove compartment," Guillermo answers. "I don't know why Manning insisted that I get one. It's not like I go anywhere. I live in that library."

"Like tonight, for instance," Abe teases as he pulls the phone out of its hiding place.

Abe makes a brief call before putting the phone back in the glove box and then they spend the rest of the trip talking about the goings on back at the bureau. In particular, the discuss Hellboy and Liz as they prepare for parenthood and which one of the two is moodier right now. Abe concentrates on the conversation, but in the back of his mind, he is making his plans for when he returns.

* * *

John finds Maggie in her closet putting away the laundry after he finally manages drag himself out of bed. 

"Abe and Guillermo should be here in a few minutes," he states without preamble.

"That's good," she replies. "Not that I haven't enjoyed your company, John, but I think I'd like to have my husband back."

"I understand," he replies with a small smile. "Listen, I'm going to wait for them on the porch. The sooner I get back, the better. It's almost time to get Hellboy his breakfast and if I'm late, he gets really cranky."

"That's fine," she says as she closes the drawer with the last of the clothes in it. "Please tell Abe that I've gone down to the ranch. I need to get Magick taken care of before he and I head out today."

"You're not planning on the leaving the property again are you?" he asks worriedly. "It's bad enough you took him out last night. If Manning finds out…"

"He'll have a fit," she interrupts as she starts down the stairs. "I know. We're going to go out collecting firewood. We won't leave the property."

"Good," he sighs with relief as they step out the front door. "Well, I'll see you later, Maggie."

"Have a good day, John," she replies as she closes door behind them. "Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome," he responds as he lets out a huge yawn.

She heads down the hill with a final wave of the hand and he waves back as he takes a seat on the top step. He only has to wait a few minutes before the gate opens and Guillermo's car pulls up the drive. John stands and walks down the few steps to the bottom of the stairs as the car comes to a stop in front of him and Abe gets out of the car.

"Hi, John," Abe says as he jumps out of the car and starts for the path down the hill.

"Hi, Abe," John replies as the blue streak goes dashing past him.

"Thanks for your help," Abe says with a wave of his hand. "I'll see you in a few days."

John stands there with his mouth open; a half formed thought on his lips and then figures that the merman must have read his mind to find out about Maggie. With a shrug, he turns and gets into the waiting car. As they drive away, John makes himself comfortable and almost immediately falls asleep as Guillermo drives on.

* * *

Abe quickly dashes down the hill towards the ranch. He hopes that no one is up yet, but considering the sun is just starting to come over the horizon, he's fairly sure he's safe. 

After checking to see that Helen and Doug are still in the cottage, he makes his way to the quarantine pen. He reaches for the horse inside with an ungloved hand and Spirit immediately comes over to him. This makes Abe happy since when he first started this project the horse wouldn't even come near him. With a hand firmly placed on the horse's forehead, the merman starts to go to work.

* * *

Maggie takes a few final swipes with the brush on the antsy stallion and then puts the grooming tools away. She goes back into the stall to take one last look at Magick's neck and sighs with frustration. The bite that Spirit gave him is infected and the antibiotics don't seem to be doing any good. She spends a few more minutes just petting the big stallion before she heads out. 

As she's relocking the door to the barn, she hears the voices of a man and a woman. At first she just thinks it's Doug and Helen, but then the man speaks again and her stomach drops into her shoes.

* * *

"Um, Abe, what are you doing?" Helen asks. 

"Oh, good morning, Helen," Abe replies, startled out of his mental contact with Spirit. "I'm just working with Spirit. I'm trying to make him a bit more manageable."

"Oh," she responds. "Umm, did Mi…Maggie tell you to do that?"

"No," he answers with a head tilt. "Should I have?"

"Well, Maggie tends to be real particular with the animals that come in," she states. "I don't make any sudden changes to the animal's treatment without running it past her first."

"I didn't realize that she's that controlling," he responds.

"It's not that she's so controlling," she replies. "It's just that sometimes there are special circumstances with the animals we get so we need to be careful with them."

"But what harm am I doing by making this horse easier to handle?" he asks.

"None," comes the less than amused answer from behind him. "But you could have been seen."

Abe turns to see a less than happy Maggie standing not far behind him. It's apparent that she's been up for a while since she's clean and dressed for the day.

"But I wasn't," he points out.

"Abe the ranch is very visible from the road," she reminds him. "Someone driving by could have seen you. The kids could have seen you. Besides, what good has your interfering done?"

"But if I hadn't interfered, he would have died," he states.

"What do you mean?" Maggie asks, still miffed.

"When I started working with him, he was so paranoid and confused that he was actually afraid to go near the food and water you put out for him," he responds. "It took several hours of work to convince him to eat. Didn't you want him to eat?"

"Of course I did," she states as she walks up to him. "But you needed to talk to me first. Remember what we agreed to earlier? We talk about any changes; you can't just go around and do them without telling me."

"You're right, I'm sorry," he concedes as he reaches for her and caresses her cheek with his bare hand.

"Why can't I stay mad at you," she grumbles as she closes her eyes and leans into his hand.

"Because you love me," he chuckles as he leans down and gives her a mind numbing kiss.

"Yes, well, I guess I'll just bring Tumbleweed up around eight then shall I?" Helen asks after about a minute of kissing.

Maggie finally manages to pull away from those seductive lips and looks at the other woman whose face has a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. It takes the Mage a good minute to get her brain back into gear enough to figure out what Helen asked. It takes her several more seconds to come up with an answer. None of this is helped by the fact that Abe has started nibbling on her neck.

"Ok," Maggie agrees as her eyes roll back.

"Ah, newlyweds," Helen sighs as she turns and heads off, shaking her head and chuckling to herself as she goes.

Maggie closes her eyes as he reclaims her lips and pulls her closer to him. As far as she's concerned, the rest of the world doesn't exist except for the two of them. She's barely aware of him lifting her up into his arms and carrying her back to the house.

When she next opens her eyes, they're in one of the spare bedrooms and she's sitting on the bed while he's trying to undo the double knot in her shoe laces. She chuckles quietly as she helps him get her shoes off.

When the last boot hits the floor, he starts to slowly and methodically undress her. As a new piece of flesh is exposed, he lavishes it with kisses and caresses eliciting mewls of desire from her. Her own hands wander as he assaults her senses and begin to remove pieces of his gear of their own accord.

Suddenly, she's finds herself being pushed onto her back and her pants and panties being slid from her body. The lips are back and they start to work their way up one of her legs as a hand caress and fondles the other. The mews turn to moans as she writhes with pleasure from his touch and she grabs hands full of the bedding beneath her.

By the time the lips and hand reach the top of her leg, she's trembling with need, her breath is erratic and her heart is pounding so hard she's sure it's going to crack a rib. As she lies there panting, he continues to kiss his way up her body. She's just about ready to rip the bedding apart when he pulls one of her nipples into his mouth and starts to suck and lick it. A cry escapes her lips as her hands come up and start to caress the parts of him that she can reach. A gentle stroke along his dorsal fin causes him to shiver and moan and she gladly repeats the action until he suddenly moves.

Before she can blink, he slides into her causing her to gasp and moan as some part of her brain wonders when he got his shorts off. He starts to move in and out of her, intent on taking her over the edge quickly. She concentrates on the feeling of him being inside of her, doing her best to ignore the discomfort of being on her back. Their bodies move in unison as the pressure builds up inside her and her cries fill the room. All too soon, she starts to convulse with the released pleasure as she screams his name again.

As she lies there gasping for air, he starts to gently stroke her, caressing all the right places. Before he can drive her too crazy, he suddenly finds himself on his back with her straddling his waist. He came out of her during the transition, so he grabs her waist in preparation to get her back on. But instead of letting him guide her back onto his thick, heavy shaft, she slides off of him.

He looks at her, completely confused. He reaches for her but she pushes his hands away as she shakes her head and waggles a finger from side to side. He leaves his hands on the bed as he watches her.

She settles down on the bed next to him and starts to run her nails up and down his chest and stomach. He moans as the nails move further down his body until they reach his hip. She traces a trail from his hip, crossing on his stomach and over to the other hip, completely avoiding his throbbing organ causing him to groan and it's now his turn to grab hands full of bedding.

"Maggie," he starts to object, but is interrupted by her making tsking noises.

"Someone agreed to talk to me about any changes he intended to make before he started making them," she states as her nails slowly reverse their course over his belly.

"I was making the changes to a horse, not you," he protests in a strained voice as his gills flare when a nail passes over a rather sensitive spot.

"Someone also promised Manning that he would stay hidden all week," she continues as if he hadn't spoken while she persists tormenting him.

"You took me to the beach last night," he grinds out as he moves his hips in hopes of making her touch the part of him that aches for her.

"I took you to the beach because your skin was becoming damaged, and I will be speaking to Manning about that," she finally replies just before her lips start to follow the trail her nails left and her hair spilling over his torso, softly driving him crazy.

"Horse was in danger, too," he retorts, the strain very evident in his voice. "You disobeyed as well."

"You (kiss) are (lick) right (nip)," she responds as she continues her torture of his senses. "Which (kiss) means (lick) we need (nip) to spend (kiss) more (lick) time (nip) talking (kiss) and less (lick) time (nip) in bed."

She ends her sentence with some determined sucking on his hip just above the bone. He can't take it anymore so he grabs her and drags her up until their lips meet with another mind searing kiss. She wiggles around until she's straddling him again and when he goes to guide her onto his erection she doesn't pull away. As soon as he's fully sheathed inside of her, he grabs holds of her hips and holds her still. She looks at him quizzically with a raised eyebrow and a tilted head as his gills continue to move abnormally while he tries to calm himself down.

"Wait a moment, love," he whispers. "Or this will all be over before you can have any fun."

"That would be bad, now wouldn't it?" she replies as she rubs her hands over his.

She encourages those hands to move from her hips to other areas in need of attention. He reaches up with one hand and starts to fondle a breast as the other caresses a thigh. Her head rolls back as she lets out a moan of pleasure, thoroughly enjoying the feel of his hands on her.

Soon, she feels him buck underneath her and she takes the hint. Their hands join to give her balance as she begins to move up and down on him. To feel him buried so deep within her is almost more than she can take. She closes her eyes to try and cut out any outside distractions as she revels in the sensation of his long, hard shaft buried in her heat. His hips match her movements and all too soon they're both racing towards that precipice and leaping off of it together, crying out their completion and sharing memories once more.

She collapses onto his chest and he lies there for several moments before he wraps his arms around her sweating and panting form, gently kissing the top of her head. She snuggles into him like she's intent on falling asleep on top of him. He reaches down and gently runs his nails up her side causing her to jump.

She quickly beats a hasty retreat by rolling off of him and moving to the other side of the bed. He follows her and grabs her. Then he wraps his arms around her torso pinning her arms to her sides and encircles her legs with one of his, immobilizing her. They playfully struggle for a while until she surrenders and relaxes in his grip.

"That wasn't very nice, you know," he growls in her ear, causing goose bumps to form on her arms and chest.

"I know," she admits as she lays her cheek on his chest. "But I got your attention, didn't I?"

"Yes, you definitely got my attention," he sighs. "We need to talk before attempting any major changes. Both of us. Agreed?"

"Agreed," she replies as she relaxes further into his embrace, closing her eyes.

"Hey! No falling asleep," he cajoles as he gently shakes her.

She growls her response as she attempts to snuggle closer to him and get some rest. He finds her side again and tickles her. She screeches with indignation as she attempts to break free of his grasp. Within moments, there's a full blown tickle war going on as she finds out that certain parts of him are ticklish. Very ticklish. After several minutes, a truce is given as they both lay there gasping for breath.

"You should get dressed," she states worriedly as he lies there struggling to breathe.

He nods and then struggles to sit up. She collects his gear as he finally manages to get into an upright position. She assists him getting dressed before she finally finds her own clothes and dons them. She notices that he seems to be doing better now that the respirator is back in place.

"I think we're going to have to be more careful about how long you're out of the water or without your respirator," she states, obviously concerned.

"Or we could just keep doing it in the pond or tub," he suggests, finally getting up off the bed.

"Hm, lets see," she muses. "I nearly drowned the last time we did it in the pond, and the tub is hard on my knees. Besides, the bathroom gets soaked when we do it in there."

"True," he states as he draws her towards him. "Of course, teasing me like that in the middle of love making wasn't very nice."

"And endangering your life is?" she demands, less then amused, though not fighting his embrace.

"I was in no danger," he starts to reply.

"Oh really?" she interrupts. "If Helen had seen you a couple of days ago, chances are I would be trying to explain to Manning why you had been shot when you weren't supposed to go beyond the house and pond."

He stands there blinking his nictitating membranes and tilting his head while staring at her in disbelief.

"Helen has a shotgun and she has orders to shoot anything messing with the animals," she informs him as she rests her head against his chest. "She would have shot you, Abe. I could have lost you."

He pulls her shivering body closer as the information sinks in and he understands why she's so upset with him. He lowers his head and buries his face in her slightly sweat soaked hair.

"I'm sorry, love," he whispers. "I never meant to scare you."

They stay like that for some time until the sound of someone pounding on the front door interrupts them.

"Helen's here," they both announce.

They both chuckle and then head downstairs. Maggie answers the door as Abe heads for the kitchen. As she opens the door, she can see the large dun colored horse hitched up to the wood cart, his lead rope loosely tied to the banister. Helen stands, leaning against the railing waiting for someone to answer.

"Did I interrupt anything?" Helen asks with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Not really," Maggie answers.

"Darn," Helen mutters.

"Helen!" Maggie admonishes and the ranch manager grins in response.

"Just joking," Helen reassures Maggie. "Anything else you need?"

"Yes, would you call Dr. Tambor and let him know that the bite on Magick's neck has become infected?" Maggie asks.

"Sure thing," Helen answers as she turns to leave. "Have fun and try to bring back some firewood."

Before Maggie can sputter out a response, Helen's gone. Abe comes up behind her and kisses her on the cheek to get her attention.

"You know that she's just trying to get you to blush, don't you?" he asks.

"And doing a damn good job of it too," she states with a snort.

"Come," he says as he walks past her onto the porch with the picnic basket, a large jug of water and a blanket in hand. "The firewood isn't going to collect itself."

"Wait, Abe," she calls as she closes the front door. "Let me go first. Tumbleweed doesn't know you and he tends to get spooked around strangers."

She passes him at the top step and walks towards the horse waiting there. She talks softly to him as she gently takes hold of his lead and holds out her hand for him to smell. Abe watches as she doesn't make any sudden moves or noises around the dull brown horse with the barrel shaped torso and white eyes. Abe does a double take and realizes that the horse is blind.

"Abe, please come down here, but walk slowly and talk in a quiet voice," she instructs.

"What should I say?" he asks, copying her tone and volume as he starts to descend the stairs.

"It doesn't matter," she answers as he gets closer. "What matters is that you speak softly around him."

"Has he always been blind?" he inquires as he reaches the last step and the horse twitches an ear at him.

"Yes, keep talking," she responds.

"I feel rather foolish talking to a horse," he informs her as he watches Tumbleweed starts sniffing towards him. "It's not like he can understand what I'm saying."

"That's not what's important. Put your hand out so he can smell you," she tells him and he complies. "It's your voice that's important. Now that he knows you, you can pet him. But be careful when you're around him. Always talk to him when you're near him so he knows you're there. Never touch him without talking to him first. He's a bit skittish when it comes to strange noises that are close to him. When we start loading the wood, I'll make sure he's positioned in a way that we don't have to walk past him to put it in the cart."

"Wouldn't it be better to use some other horse for this job?" he questions as he strokes the powerful neck of the animal in front of him.

"In some aspects yes," she replies as she starts to lead Tumbleweed away from the house. "But he's our biggest horse besides Magick and Magick isn't bred for drafting. He's a saddle horse lets not forget that the foolish animal got himself put into quarantine."

"What about tools?" he queries as he places the basket, jug and blanket in the cart. "Aren't we going to need something to cut the wood down?"

"Everything we need is in the tool box in the cart," she answers, continuing her trek deeper into the woods.

"Ah," he replies as he walks with one hand on Tumbleweed's shoulder.

They walk for several minutes through the trees in silence.

"Where are we going?" he finally asks, stepping up next to her when they pass an area that obviously needs to be cleaned up.

"To the far side of the property," she replies. "I tend to work from the outside in when doing this. That way I don't have to keep back tracking."

"Hm, makes sense," he responds as he tries to think of something to fill the time. "Why did you hire Helen?"

"Because she told me the truth," she states. "I interviewed several people and they all lied to me about one thing or another, but she didn't. I hadn't expected her to be truthful, but she surprised me."

"What did you expect her to lie about?"

"Her past," she responds. "She had a couple of run-ins with the law when she was a teenager and she was having a hard time getting a job because of it. But despite all of the jobs she couldn't get because of her past, she still came here and told me the truth. That impressed me. Not to mention that most of the animals seemed to love her so that clinched it.

"What about Doug? How did she meet him?"

"That was my fault," she chuckles. "He worked for the construction company that came out to build the office. Shortly after they got married he lost his job so I hired him to be my all around handy man."

"What about the kids? What do they do with them all day?"

"They hired a part time nanny to come in and care for them. She's also an accredited pre-school teacher, so she's also getting them ready to go to school. It'll be different come this August when Allison goes to kindergarten. I'm not sure how Jamy's going to handle it. Alley's always been around so this will be the first time they'll be apart for any length of time."

"What about home schooling?"

"I suggested that, but Helen and Doug want to send the kids to school."

"How many bedrooms does the cottage have?"

"Just two," she answers. "I originally had it built for me, but when my grandmother saw it she had a fit and insisted on building that monstrosity that I'm living in now. At least it's not as big as she wanted, but it's still too big."

"How big did she want it to be?"

"It would have had wings and servant's quarters. I at least managed to convince her that it's just me living here so I didn't need something that big. She expected me to employ a full staff to take care of everything. We had some seriously interesting conversations about that. Remind me to show you the blue prints for the house she wanted to build. It was ridiculous."

"I bet it was," he chuckles as he drapes an arm over her shoulder and she circles his waist with her free arm.

They walk on for a while longer like that as birds flit about over head and squirrels dart across their path. Finally, she stops and looks around. The fence marking off the property line can barely be seen through the trees.

"At this point, the path loops around the far side of the pond and heads back towards the house," she informs him before she points to an area about a dozen yards off the path. "That looks like a good place to start."

"How about some water first?" he suggests as he pulls out the jug.

"Sounds good," she replies.

She sets the brake on the cart just before climbing in and opening the tool box. She starts pulling out the various items they'll need plus things that they'll need later. She impatiently brushes her hair out of her face while organizing things. He notices her displeasure as he hands her a cup of water.

"Why isn't you're hair up?" he asks.

"Because I got a bit distracted just before we left," she playfully growls at him while giving a mock glare. "And I didn't have time to do my hair."

"Why haven't you braided it lately?" he wonders.

"Because I can't do a French braid without my powers," she states.

She finishes the water and hands the cup back to Abe as she sorts through the various items that they'll need. She finally gets the items together and climbs over the side of the cart, getting ready to jump down. He grabs her around the waist and lifts her down to the ground.

"Thank you," she says just before giving him a brief kiss. "Time to get to work."

With that, she first attaches a feed bag to Tumbleweed and then walks between the trees towards the fallen branches on the ground. She shows him what parts of the branches that can be used and what should be left. After she's done giving him instructions, they get to work.

The rest of the day is spent clearing out areas with a lot of fallen branches. They continue to work with the occasional break until the cart is full. The shadows are starting to lengthen and they know it's time to head back home.

After getting back, they unload the wood into the drying shed. Abe heads for the house to start dinner and Maggie heads for the ranch to return Tumbleweed to his corral and the cart back to its shed.

Maggie gives the gentle draft horse a good grooming and a left over apple from the picnic basket before turning him back out to pasture. Leaning against the fence, she watches him for a few moments until his horse buddy joins him and they head for the feeding trough.

"How'd it go?" Helen asks from behind Maggie.

"Pretty well," Maggie answers, turning to face the ranch manager. "I think a couple days more should get it all."

"Really?" Helen responds with a smirk. "I'd thought it'd take you longer with Abe 'helping' you."

"You know, it is possible for us to work together without jumping all over each other," Maggie points out, trying to hide her smile.

Before Helen has a chance to make a smart aleck comment, they can hear the sound of little feet charging towards them. They turn towards the sound as two little bundles of energy come tearing around the corner full tilt.

"MISS C! MISS C!" Allison yells when she sees Maggie, running a bit faster.

"MISSY! MISSY!" Jamy echoes as he follows his big sister.

Maggie braces herself just before impact as the two kids run into her without slowing down. Despite being prepared for it, they still manage to knock her back a couple of steps.

"Hi, guys," Maggie laughs as they each latch themselves onto a leg and look up at her with bright, happy eyes. "How are you doing?"

"Great!" Allison gleefully shouts. "I saw you and Mommy talking to a blue man this morning and Mommy says I can't tell anyone about him and I think he's funny looking and I drew a picture of him, wanna see?"

"Piture," Jamy repeats in that cute voice that only a three year old can manage.

"Sure," Maggie replies, stunned.

"Wait right there!" Allison yells.

"Way ear," Jamy copies.

After making sure that Maggie's not going to go anywhere, the five year old takes off running. Jamy hangs onto Maggie's leg for a moment longer before taking off after his sister running as fast as he can, considering he's still in diapers.

"I have a feeling that Abe's going to get a good talking to when you get back up to the house," Helen chuckles.

"Oh, yea," Maggie responds as the kids come back still going full speed ahead.

"Here!" Allison shouts as she hands Maggie a slightly crumpled piece of paper.

"Ear!" Jamy happily echoes.

Maggie looks at the picture of three stick figures. The one on the right has long brown hair, the one on the left has short yellow hair and the one in the middle is the tallest of the three and is colored blue. No doubt about who that one is supposed to be.

"This is really nice, Alley," Maggie says with a smile. "May I keep this?"

"Sure!" Alley squeals happily. "I can make you more if you want."

"More! More!" Jamy shouts gleefully as he claps his chubby little hands.

"No, I think this one will be enough," Maggie replies, ruffling the little girl's golden hair.

"Alright you two, time to go in," Helen tells the kids. "Dinner will be soon, so you need to go get cleaned up."

"AW! Do we have to?" Alley protests.

"Yes, you have to," Helen responds.

"But I want to stay here and talk to Miss C," Alley argues.

"Missy," Jamy echoes.

"Sorry, guys, I need to go in and get ready for dinner too," Maggie informs them. "I'll see you later."

"Ok," Alley grumbles, toeing a rock with her grubby shoe.

"Thank you for the picture," Maggie says as she squats down to the kid's level. "I really like it."

"You're welcome!" Alley gladly yells.

"Welcome!" Jamy repeats.

Alley jumps at Maggie and wraps her arms around the woman's neck and effectively knocking her onto her backside. Jamy joins his sister in mugging Maggie. Maggie laughs as she hugs the kids back.

"Ok, you guys, time to do what your mother says," Maggie tells them and they start to protest as Helen starts to pull them off. "Bye, guys. See you later."

"Bye, Miss C," Alley calls back as her mother leads her away.

"Bye, bye," Jamy says as he waves. "See ya later."

Maggie waves back until the kids are dragged around the corner. Then she gets up, brushes herself off and turns and heads back to the house with the picture firmly held in hand. It's time to point out to a certain husband that he wasn't as invisible as he thought he was.


	20. Saturday Night

"Oh dear."

"'Oh dear?'" she asks incredulously, slapping the drawing she had been hold up down onto the counter with a loud 'SMACK.' "You got spotted by a kid, who, if talking was an Olympic sport, would be a gold medalist, and all you can say is 'Oh dear?'"

"Would 'oops' make you feel better?" he replies with his typical head tilt and a graceful wave of his hand.

"No," she snarls. "How about 'I'm sorry, honey. You were right and I'll never do it again.'"

"I'm sorry, honey," he repeats as he pulls her into his arms. "You were right and I'll never do it again."

"I'm still upset with you, you know," she grumbles as rubs her cheek against his foam neoprene clad chest.

"I know," he replies as he gently strokes her hair.

She sighs as she closes her eyes and wraps her arms around his waist, content to let the worry start to drain away from her. There's nothing they can do about Allison seeing him except hope that people just shrug it off as the ranting from a child with an over active imagination. The sound of his heartbeat sooths her and calms her nerves. She doesn't even realize that she's starting to fall asleep in his arms until the sound of the microwave causes her to nearly jump right out of her skin.

"What are you nuking?" she asks as she turns and looks at the appliance.

"Nothing," he answers. "I was using the timer to let me know when to take dinner out of the oven."

"The microwave has a timer?" she inquires, going over to the said machine.

"Of course," he replies as he points to the button marked 'TIMER.' "It's right there."

"Oh."

She stands there staring at the microwave as she feels her embarrassment crawl up from her toes and aim itself to her hairline. He quietly removes dinner from the oven, not saying a word and desperately trying not to laugh. She doesn't need to be a telepath to know he's attempting to hold it in, so with as much dignity as she can muster, she goes to set the table.

Just as she's finishing, he places dinner on the table and they sit down. While they're eating, he tells her about his conversation with Guillermo earlier this morning and he's startled as she starts to chuckle.

"I hardly think it's funny that Liz keeps rearranging the books and papers in the library," he admonishes her as she continues to snigger. "She's disrupting Guillermo's organization."

"She's nesting," she replies as she tries not to giggle. "You should have seen Sharon when she started nesting. Ron called me begging me to help him. In the course of one week, she had rearranged the furniture in the entire apartment ten times. He had no problem with it at first until she decided to rearrange their bedroom furniture with him still in bed sleeping."

"Poor Guillermo," he chuckles as he shakes his head. "Having to deal with that and it's not even his wife."

"It's ok," she reassures him. "He's used to it."

"How can he be used to it?" he asks in confusion. "He's not married."

"Not any more he's not," she replies sadly.

"I didn't think Mages got divorced," he responds, still confused.

"He's not divorced," she simply states as she stands and starts to clear the table. "And to stave off the next question, it was a drunk driver that killed them."

"Them?"

"His wife, their two girls and their unborn son," she answers while she pulls out storage containers. "I never knew them. They died before I was born."

"I never knew that," he states. "Guillermo doesn't think about them when I'm around."

"I'm not too surprised," she responds with a yawn. "It was a very long time ago."

"Let's get the food put away and then you should go to bed," he suggests. "The dishes can wait until morning."

"AH! The bed!" she cries. "It still needs the sand vacuumed out of it."

"I'll take care of the bed, you deal with dinner," he offers.

"Ok," she replies as another yawn claims her.

He leaves and a few minutes later she can hear the vacuum cleaner going. She finishes putting away the food, gets the dishes soaking and then trudges up the stairs. When did the house get so many steps?

When she enters the bedroom, she barely notices Abe finishing making the bed and she heads past him into the bathroom. She starts the shower and then slowly starts to undress, completely unaware that she's being watched. Once she's down to her birthday suit, she adjusts the water temperature and gets in. She stands in the spray, barely staying awake and completely oblivious to everything going on around her.

"Would you like some help?" he asks after watching her for about a minute.

Her noncommittal grunt is all the invitation he needs as he quickly strips. He slips into the shower with her and pulls her away from the wall, sliding between her and it. She leans heavily against him, resting her cheek against his chest and he smiles as he grabs the shampoo.

After spending probably more time then necessary with his hands in her hair, he helps her rinse out the lather in her tresses. Then he picks up the soap and starts to wash her body. He starts with her back ever mindful of the bruises there.

He turns her so her back is to him and starts to was her front, desperately trying to keep his libido in check. Not an easy task with her moaning with pleasure and rubbing her warm, wet naked body against him. He stills her movements by wrapping his arms around her.

"If you don't stop doing that, I won't be held responsible for what will happen," he warns her.

"Swear?" she purrs seductively as one of her hands sneaks behind her and starts to caress his thigh, slowly moving upwards.

"Maggie, stop," he begs as he grabs the wandering hand by the wrist. "You need sleep."

"I'm tired, Abe, not dead," she states as she looks up at him over her shoulder. "And you didn't seriously think I was going to stay sleepy with your hands on me, did you?"

His resolve is quickly dissolving as she starts to squirm against him. He protests with a groan as her free hand takes up what the other one didn't finish. The soap hits the floor about one second before his still sudsy hands start to caress and fondle her body of their own accord.

Her moans and movements shatter what little resolve he might have had left and she's made aware of it by the hard object sticking her in the small of her back. She turns to face him and lips collide in a mind numbing, soul searing, reality warping kiss. Hands run rampant over their bodies as lips start to explore whatever can be reached.

The passing of a tongue tip over a gill and suddenly she finds herself up in his arms and pressed against the wall. She barely manages to wrap her legs around his waist before he slides in and starts pounding into her. Her cries fill the room as she deftly ignores the ache in her back as her senses go into overload.

He drives into her hard and fast, pushing himself to the edge. He feels her climax but he barely pauses for her recovery before he starts to move again. Her groans start to drive him well past the point of sanity as he moves even faster. All too soon he feels the tingle starting at the base of his spine and the tightening of his sack. With a few final thrusts he finishes, yelling her name as she screams his.

He stands there trembling while she tries to cling to him with what little energy she has left. A few minutes later his flaccid member slips out of her and she moans for its loss. With a sigh, she lowers her legs and he carefully sets her back on her feet. Her legs feel like they're made of pudding so she holds onto him while leaning against the wall. He presses his forehead against the wall as the water washes over his gills giving him some respite.

"Good god, Abe," she gasps. "Remind me not to let you go so long without sex again."

"Do I get to chose how I remind you?" he asks, laughter rumbling from his chest.

"I'm not sure if my sanity could survive it," she chuckles back.

"Good," he mutters as he pulls her closer and buries his face in her soaked hair.

"I wish you could stay," she whispers to herself as she holds onto him.

"Come with me," he mumbles into her ear.

"I can't," she sighs, closing her eyes and listening to his heartbeat. "What am I to do with Magick? I can't have Helen take care of him while he's in quarantine. She'd be in the hospital within a week. I can't move him until his time is up. That's going to be nearly six weeks. And even if I could move him, where would I take him? I have no place for him at the bureau."

He has no argument to try and dissuade her from her decision, so they stand in silence, unsure of what to do next. After several minutes of this, she sighs and pushes him away.

"I need to finish getting washed," she states as she starts to look around for the soap.

He bends down and scoops up the misplaced item before he hands it to her.

"Thanks," she mutters as she takes it from him.

"Would you like some help?" he asks.

"I think I better do this for myself," she answers with a small smile. "I don't think my body or my sanity can take you washing me anymore."

Regretfully, he nods and gives her a gentle kiss before he leaves the shower. He dries off and dresses and then looks in on her. She's slowly getting the job done and he can see the exhaustion in her face.

"Are you sure you don't want help?" he questions.

"I'll manage," she reassures him wearily without looking up.

Without another word, he leaves and goes downstairs. He swings by the office and picks up some books before heading into the family room. He makes himself comfortable on the couch and starts to read. Some time later, an unexpected noise startles him and he nearly leaps to his feet when he finally notices it's just Maggie. She's standing there, leaning against the door jam with her damp hair hanging loose down her back and wearing a long silky nightgown. His heart skips a beat from the mere vision of her.

"What are you doing up?" he inquires. "I thought you were going to go to bed after your shower."

"I thought so too," she replies. "I couldn't sleep."

"Come sit with me," he offers as he settles back down and pats the cushion next to him.

Without another word she crosses the room and curls up next to him. After about a minute of squirming around, she finally gets comfortable and lies on the couch beside him with her head in his lap. He takes a glove off and starts stroking her hair as he goes back to reading his book.

A few pages later, he realizes that she's fallen into a deep sleep. With great care, he stands up, turns off all the lights and then carries her upstairs, putting her to bed. A short time later finds him in the tub joining his wife in dream land.


	21. Too Short

Too short. Their time together has been too short. And quite frankly, she's not happy about it as is evident with the silent tears dropping into the dish water as she washes the pots and pans from the last dinner he has made for her.

She thinks back over the past couple of days which consisted of them collecting more firewood. They worked constantly from the morning until late afternoon except for their occasional stops to scare the local wildlife. That last thought brings a sad smile to her face as another tear falls into the sink.

She bites her bottom lip as she tries to keep the sobs in, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She doesn't want him to hear even though she's pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to hear her from the pond where she sent him to rest, but why take chances.

"You bite your lip any harder and you're going to break the skin."

She lets out a startled yelp as she spins around, dish water flying everywhere and stares at him through tear filled eyes. She blinks furiously to clear her eyes as she wipes her face with her forearm.

"You're supposed to be in the pond," she manages to choke out after she finally swallows her heart back down to where it's supposed to be.

"I was," he responds. "But I don't want our last night together to be spent apart."

"Don't you want one last swim?" she asks shakily as another tear makes a trip down her face.

"Yes," he answers as he steps closer to her. "But not as much as I want to spend tonight with you."

"But…," she starts to protest as he moves closer.

"Do you want me to leave you alone?" he asks as he reaches out and brushes the tears off of her cheek.

"No," she moans as she closes her eyes and leans into his touch.

"Come with me," he whispers into her ear while he takes one of her wet, soapy hands in his.

She can only nod as he starts to pull her out of the kitchen. He leads her upstairs but before they get to the master bedroom, he stops and turns to her. He puts a finger under her chin and brings her face up to meet his just as he gives her a gentle kiss. She gives out a soft whimper at the feeling of his lips on hers

"Close your eyes," he quietly orders after he finally breaks the kiss.

"They are closed," she points out since she had shut them the instant their lips had met.

"Good, keep them that way," he states as he starts to pull her forward again.

He leads her on for a few more steps and then stops, a moment later she can hear a door open. He pulls her forward a couple of feet before stopping again and dropping her hand. She can hear him moving about and the scent of lavender and jasmine reaches her nose. Finally she feels him step up behind her, placing his hands on her hips.

"Open your eyes," he whispers in her ear, causing goose bumps to form down her arms.

She does as she's told and then gasps. There are candles of every size and shape imaginable illuminating the room; strings of fairy lights are haphazardly strung across the ceiling and all but the bottom sheet and pillows have been stripped off of the bed. But it's what's on the night stand that really grabs her attention: a small plate with several pieces of what appears to be dark chocolate truffles rests there.

"Are those…?" she starts to ask, pointing to the dish.

"Yes," he breathes just before planting a kiss on her neck.

A small moan escapes her at the feeling of his lips on her flesh and she closes her eyes, leaning her head to one side to give him freer access. But instead of taking the offered neck, he steps away from her. She looks around for him and sees him pushing a button on a CD player she had previously not noticed.

A few seconds later music fills the air. A few notes into the song and she recognizes it as an old favorite that she hasn't heard in quite some time. She looks up at him as he takes her into his arms and they begin to dance.

**Together--midnight in summer**

**The air's so much warmer**

**Falling in love under starlight**

**Holding on so tight—together**

They stare into each other's eyes, getting lost there and happy to stay that way. She can already start to feel her body heat up in all the right places

**I won't leave you lonely tonight**

**I want you to hold me all night**

**It's gonna be alright**

**I won't leave you lonely tonight**

Their lips meet and the world disappears as they float in a sea of sound and feelings. Her warm spots are starting to burn with pent up desire and her breathing becomes more ragged.

**Imagine—the air filled with jasmine**

**The breeze blows with passion**

**You and me dance with desire**

**The moon is on fire—imagine**

The kiss finally ends, and if she wasn't dizzy enough from that heady experience, he starts to spin her around the room.

**I won't leave you lonely tonight**

**I want you to hold me all night**

**It's gonna be alright**

**I won't leave you lonely tonight**

Suddenly, he turns her around so that she's back to chest with him. One of his arms snakes around her and begins to pull her blouse out of the top of her skirt as his other hand begins to pull up her skirt, dragging nails across her thigh and raising more goose bumps. His mouth finds her ear and she reaches back, grabbing a hold of his leg with one hand and the back of his respirator with the other, trying to keep from collapsing on the floor in a puddle. Her held in desires burn with such heat that she's sure she's going to burst into flame at any second while mewls of passion fill the room.

**Je t'aime beaucoup mon amour**

**You are the one I adore**

**I won't leave you lonely tonight**

**I want you to hold me all night**

**It's gonna be alright**

**I won't leave you lonely tonight**

The hand pulling on her blouse finally makes its way inside, undoes her bra and begins to fondle her breast. His other hand has found its way to the hot, wet area between her legs and starts to massage the small bundle of nerves he finds there. Her moans nearly drown out the music as she feels herself quickly racing to the edge of oblivion.

**Na-na-na…**

**Te amo mucho mi amor**

**You are the one I adore**

**Te amo**

As the last strains of music fade away, she cries out her completion and her legs give out. Fortunately, he has a firm hold on her torso and crotch, so he's able to prevent her from falling. As the first few blaring bars of the next song come blasting out of the player, he steadies her on her feet before reaching over and turning the machine off.

It takes several more moments before she relaxes her grip on him and he starts to chuckle in her ear. He loosens his hold on her as she turns to face him, still a bit light headed from his attentions.

"Good thing I was still wearing my gear," he smiles as he pulls her into his arms again. "You had quite the grip on me."

"It's your own fault you know," she counters, looking up into those incredible deep blue eyes of his. "But now I know why you wanted me to wear a skirt this evening."

"Guess I've been found out," he chuckles as he leans down to claim her lips once more.

He carefully guides her across the room until the back of her legs collide with the edge of the bed. She can feel the buttons on her blouse start to come undone as she reaches for the buckles on the side of his top. As soon as the upper garments are removed, bare flesh meets, sending all coherent thoughts out the window.

Within a relative short amount of time her skirt and panties disappears, but his shorts take a bit more work. She grabs the top of the foam neoprene and starts to slowly peel it down his legs leaving a trail of hot, wet kisses in her wake down one of those slightly shaking appendages. By the time she gets his shorts down to his ankles, he has a death grip on the brass bedpost and he's making a moaning sound that is more felt then heard. She leaves the garment where it is, effectively hobbling him, and starts to work her way back up the other leg that is now noticeable shaking.

By the time she reaches his hip, his erection is a deep blue and the moans have become very deep groans. To most, the sound he's making would probably be at best disquieting, but she finds it arousing. Her tongue sneaks out and delicately touches his sack.

Before she knows what hits her, she's on her back on the bed and he's on top of her, pounding into her. She opens her legs wider to allow him deeper access into her moist folds and her cries echo off of the walls. He pushes her harder and faster towards the edge until with one final thrust he sends her screaming over it.

As she lies there panting for breath, he pulls out and then starts nibbling his way down her body starting at her neck. It takes her several dazed moments before she realizes what's happened and by the time she does, he's already past her collar bone and aimed at a nipple. He finally makes his target and starts to suck on it, tickling the delicate bud with his tongue while she gasps and grabs his head.

As her hands start to caress him, they come in contact with his respirator. Her fingers start to work their way to clasps that hold the thing together and he pulls away causing her to whimper at the sudden loss of contact. She pushes up on one hand and reaches for him with the other. He grabs the searching hand and kisses it.

"Not yet, love," he murmurs as he moves closer. "Let's make this last."

With a brief mind numbing kiss, he gently pushes her back down and continues his torment. His lips are such delightful torturing devices that all she can do is moan and squirm at their assault on her senses. As he works his way from one breast to the next, she closes her eyes as her grip on reality loosens and she's not sure she has a name anymore.

While she lays there lies there trying to remember his name, she feels her legs lifted into the air. When she finally manages to open her eyes, she can see her ankles resting on his shoulders as he positions himself at her opening. She can feel her body trembling and she's not sure if it's from anticipation or exhaustion.

He slides into her again and she closes her eyes again as the feeling of him filling her sends a delightful shiver up her spine. He moves slowly at first, letting her adjust to the sensation of him loving her again. When her moans start to fill the room again, he knows he can pick up the pace and he does.

He closes both sets of eyelids as he continues to move. It takes every bit of control that he has to keep from ending this too soon. Her moans and whimpers are sorely taxing his abilities as he forces himself not to lose it.

She had nearly forgotten how good this position feels with his cool rock hard penis constantly rubbing on her elusive G-spot. Her moans quickly become cries as she can feel herself being drawn towards the edge. He moves even faster and she feels herself drop off into the abyss screaming his name.

She lies there trembling, nearly spent as he pulls back once more, furiously blinking his nictitating membranes. He feels her legs slide down his arms and watches as they flop back down onto the bed like of a couple of logs. He looks down on her body, covered with a thin sheen of sweat. His gaze finally falls upon her face with sweat soaked hair matted to it. The pensive look on her face has him worried as he reaches up to push her hair aside.

"What's wrong?" he asks quietly.

"You're not done," she croaks out, her throat sore from all the screaming. "I don't think I can keep going."

A tear leaks out of her eye and slides into her hair. He leans over and kisses the trail away and then kisses his way to her lips. He gives her a long, slow, gentle kiss that leaves her trembling even harder.

"Can you do it one more time?" he questions after he pulls back a little.

"I don't know," she whispers. "I'll try."

"Thank you," he whispers back and gives her another quick kiss. "Help me take the respirator off."

With shaking hands, she starts to peel the equipment off of him. Piece by piece, it's removed and carefully put to the side. By the time she removes the water chamber, her hands are a bit steadier but still, she's tired. He reaches over to the nightstand, picks up the plate resting there and brings it onto the bed.

"Maybe this will give you more energy," he suggests as he holds one of the delightful morsels up to her lips.

She opens her lips enough for him to slip the sinful treat into her mouth. The look of pure bliss on her face as she sucks on the truffle and the moan she emits is almost more than he can take. With a full body shudder, he manages to bring himself back under something that resembles control.

He picks up another truffle and bites off the bottom of the chocolate. She watches him; her curiosity piqued as he takes the remaining part and gently presses onto her nipple. She shivers as her body starts to respond once more to his touch. After making sure that little pink bud and most of her breast are covered with gooey sweetness, he slides the piece of melting chocolate across her chest to her other nipple and gives it the same treatment.

Once he's done covering those wonderful orbs, he looks up at her face and sees her staring back at him with lust filled eyes. He picks up another piece of chocolate and holds it up for her. She opens her mouth and before he can move she captures the fingers holding the truffle and begins to suck on them, never taking her eyes off of him.

A growling moan resonates from his chest just before he dives into the chocolate covered dessert he's prepared. Strangled cries escape her throat as she sucks even harder while arching her back towards him. The taste and feeling of her as he licks and sucks on her breasts cause him to start making that deep moan again. Just when she's sure she's going to explode, he suddenly backs off causing her to protest loudly.

He reclaims his fingers just as he repositions himself above her. She looks up at him and their lips meet in a mind searing kiss. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulls her to him. She encircles his torso with her arms and legs as he once more enters her womanhood.

He goes slowly at first, reveling in the feeling of every millimeter of her body, inside and out. She urges him on as her lips latch onto his collar bone and starts to suck for all she's worth. He groans as starts to lose control and goes faster and faster. She has to let go as he continues to slam into her, forcing her to concentrate on breathing while her cries fill the room once more. All too soon, he feels the all too familiar tingle starting at the base of his spine that travels up to his balls and she feels every nerve ending explode while she screams his name.

The intense sharing of memories and feelings leaves them both shaken as does the knowledge that this will be their last night together for who knows how long. She tries to hold the sobs in, but it's no use and soon her body is wracked with uncontrolled crying. He holds her closer as she buries her face into his chest.

Unconsciously, he makes a crooning noise to try and bring her comfort. Some time later, she relaxes in his embrace and he knows that she's cried herself to sleep, so he carefully pulls back. He winces inwardly as he realizes that he's latched onto her again with his suction cups, but she makes no sound as he gets them to release her.

After putting the plate of truffles back on the nightstand, he pulls his shorts that are still around his ankles up, finds the discarded bedding, repositions her and tucks her into bed. He collects his gear and heads back out to the pond. He floats in the middle of the water already missing her even though he hasn't left yet. The need for her fills him, body, mind and soul.

Unconsciously, he starts to keen, attracting the fish in the pond. He ignores them as they brush against him. He eventually falls into a fitful sleep where he dreams of her.

* * *

Shortly before dawn, a blue and green figure with black stripes emerges from the pond. Slowly, he dons the gear he had left on the shore before heading back up to the house. Once there, he enters briefly to open the front gate and then goes and sits on the front steps.

He doesn't have long to wait for the sound of a large truck drawing closer to travel across the still morning air. A short time later, he can see the headlights reflecting off of the wrought iron fencing just before the truck itself is visible. He watches in silence as the garbage truck pulls through the gate and goes around the loop to stop just in front of him. He stands and heads for the back as the back panels separate allowing him access to the interior.

"Abe?"

He quickly turns around at the sound of her sad, tired voice. She stands just outside the door wearing nothing more but a hastily put on robe. Her hair is badly mussed and her eyes are puffy from lack of sleep and crying. Quite frankly she looks like hell and she feels it too.

"Were you going to leave without saying goodbye?" she asks with a quavering voice.

"I thought that's what we did last night," he answers as he retraces his steps up the stairs.

"Oh," she says with a hitch her throat.

She quickly turns and starts to return to the house, attempting to hide the new wave of tears threatening flood her being again. He swiftly closes the distance between them, grabs her arm, turns her around and holds her close. The uncontrolled sobs wrack her body once more while he just holds her, just as miserable as she. By the time the tears abate, the sun is starting to come over the horizon.

"What the **HELL **is the meaning of _THIS_?"

Both of them jump and turn towards Manning whom they never heard approach but they can see his limo pulled up behind the garbage truck. He's waving something in front of their faces and it takes them a few moments just to be able to focus on the moving target, but when they do, they both turn a darker shade of their natural colors.

In Manning's hand is a copy of the 'National Enquirer' with a very grainy, slightly out of focus picture taken at a rather high angle of the front of Maggie's car looking through the front window. In the front passenger seat of the car is a man with blue skin and a webbed hand talking on a cell phone. Though you can only see the man's chin and hand, there's no mistaking it's a photo of Abe probably taken from one of the security cameras at the gas station.

Maggie has had enough. Between the lack of sleep, depression of her husband leaving and the hormones of the pregnancy, she has had enough.

"Well, what the **HELL** do you _THINK_ it is?" she yells back, stepping towards the older man totally ignoring the fact that she didn't tie the robe's tie. "It's _your_ DAMN fault I had to take him to the beach!"

"YOU TOOK HIM TO THE _BEACH_?" Manning screeches.

"WHAT CHOICE DID I HAVE?" she screams as Abe reaches from behind her and quickly closes the front of her robe, wrapping his arms around her middle. "YOU DIDN'T GIVE HIM SOMETHING TO SOAK IN THAT HAD THE CORRECT TYPE OF WATER IN IT! INSTEAD YOU SEND HIM TO ME WITH NOTHING AND WITHOUT SALT WATER TO SOAK IN HIS SKIN STARTS TO CRACK!"

She's trembling as all of the pent up rage and frustration comes pouring out and Abe can feel and hear her breath coming in ragged gasps. He pulls her closer to him to keep her from lunging at the director. Manning stands there for several seconds staring at her. He blinks a few times as he digests this information before he finally looks up at Abe.

"You need salt water?" Manning asks, obviously confused.

"It is what's in my tank," Abe replies with his familiar head tilt. "If you'll excuse us for a moment Dr. Manning, I'll be ready to leave in a little bit."

Manning stands there looking from one to the other, the woman on the verge of losing it again and the merman with the unreadable face. He opens his mouth to start reprimanding them again but stops mid-inhale at Abe's slight shake of the head. Manning closes his mouth and stomps down the steps to his waiting limo.

"Come with me," he begs once more.

She violently shakes her head before roughly pushing away from him and rushing back into the house, slamming the door behind her. With a defeated slump of his shoulders, he turns back to the garbage truck. A short time later, he's in the large vehicle headed back to the bureau. Inside the house, she barely makes it to the bathroom in time as she's served her first bout of morning sickness.

* * *

**Disclaimer 1**: I don't own the rights to Shania Twain's 'I won't leave you lonely.'

**Disclaimer 2**: I don't own so much as a single copy of the 'National Enquirer' much less any rights to it.

**A/N**: Did I mention that I'm going on vacation for three weeks? Also, did I mention that I'm evil?


	22. Reunited

It's late evening and Guillermo is just returning from a three day trip to Boston. He spent his time visiting with his niece whose husband was recently transferred to Bean Town. It was a good visit especially since he hasn't seen his grand-nephew since he was about a year old. He had forgotten how precocious a two and a half year old can be.

So with a happy heart and a light step despite his bum leg, he heads back to the library in the BPRD casually wondering what havoc Liz created while he was gone. When he turns the final corner to his domain, he stops dead in his tracks. At the end of the hall stands Hellboy, Liz and John and they're talking rather animatedly about something. Guillermo starts walking again but the others don't notice him.

"No way, you go in," John insists of the large red demon in front of him. "He's your best friend."

"Un-uh," Hellboy responds, crossing his arms over his massive chest. "That noise he's making makes my skin crawl."

They both turn and look at Liz and she just shakes her head.

"Not going to happen," she refuses as she rubs her hand over her overly large belly. "Whatever he's doing makes the baby go into calisthenics when I go in there."

"What's going on?" Guillermo asks when he finally reaches them.

"It's Abe," John explains. "He's making some weird noise that's driven everyone out of the library."

"What kind of noise?" Guillermo inquires.

Instead of answering, John just opens the door to the library and a low keening sound that is felt more than it's heard resonates out of the room. Guillermo stumbles back a couple of steps from the intensity as John shuts the door once more. Guillermo shakes his head as a shiver runs the length of his spine. When he looks at the others Hellboy and John seem to be shaking off the effects like he did, but Liz is holding onto the wall as her stomach is now noticeably moving around.

"How long has he been doing that?" Guillermo questions as Hellboy reaches for Liz.

"Since he got back into his tank yesterday morning," John answers.

"Where's Maggie?" Guillermo demands afraid that he already knows the answer.

"Back at her place," Hellboy grumbles. "Her horsy needs her."

Guillermo starts swearing rather creatively in Spanish as the urge to bang a couple of heads together nearly overwhelms him.

"And you eat with that mouth?" Hellboy jokingly asks as he rubs Liz's belly with his left hand.

"You two are coming with me," Guillermo orders as he points at Liz and John, ignoring the jibe.

"Where are we going?" John inquires as Guillermo turns and starts to head back the way he came.

"We're going to go get Maggie and bring her back here," Guillermo answers, not bothering to slow down or to see if he's being followed, not that he needs to.

"But if Abe couldn't get her to leave her place, how are we going to?" John asks bewildered, easily keeping up.

"We just will," the older man responds as he turns a corner. "And if reason doesn't work, we'll hog tie her and throw her in the trunk."

"You won't really hog tie her and…," John starts but trails off at the look that Guillermo throws over his shoulder.

"Of course I won't do that," Guillermo reassures him as he continues his journey towards the garage. "But she has to come and if she's feeling half as miserable as Abe is, it shouldn't be too hard."

"So what do you need us for?" Liz asks as she waddles along.

"Well, if Maggie is as bad off as I think she is, I'll need you to pack her clothes for her," Guillermo informs her. "I love the girl as if she was my own daughter, but even I have to draw the line at handling her lingerie."

"What about me?" John inquires as they walk into the garage and head for Guillermo's car.

"I'll need you to carry her bags out to the car," Guillermo replies, unlocking the doors with the remote. "And maybe you'll even get to drive that lovely car of hers again."

"I prefer my bike," John grumbles to himself while he opens the back door for himself as Hellboy opens the front passenger door for Liz. "Why can't Maggie carry her own bags?"

"I doubt she'll be coherent enough to handle the job," Guillermo responds as he opens his own door. "Besides I don't want her lifting heavy things with her condition.

"What condition?" Liz asks as she turns to kiss Hellboy goodbye.

"She's pregnant," Guillermo answers just before he slides into his own seat.

The others stand there, stunned by the news. They're only shaken out of there trance by Guillermo starting the car's engine. The other two scramble to get in and Hellboy steps back as he watches while they drive away.

He stands there for several more minutes after they're out of sight with his tail twitching. He remembers how hard it was the thirteen times Liz quit the bureau and left, but that was before she admitted that she loves him. If she left now, like she did before, he has a feeling that he'd be joining Abe in his tank, and keening just as loudly. With one final swish of his tail, he heads back inside and goes to his room. Maybe a bit of Chaplin will keep him busy while he waits.

* * *

"Here, this should help settle your stomach," Helen states as she places a cup of ginger tea in front of the woman with her head down on the table.

"Thanks, Helen," Maggie mumbles wearily.

Maggie slowly sits up and pulls the cup closer to her. With a shaking hand, she lifts the cup to her lips and sips the still hot liquid, ignoring the searing pain it causes. She barely even notices the spicy sweet taste of the tea as she drinks it as fast as possible.

"Take it easy, Maggie," Helen admonishes gently. "It works just as well cold as it does hot."

"I haven't been able to keep anything down since yesterday," Maggie admits after draining half of the cup. "It seems everything I eat comes right back up again. How do women survive pregnancy?"

"We just do," Helen chuckles lightly. "Women are tougher than men think. After all, we're the ones who have to go through labor and delivery."

"Oh, god, don't remind me of that little fun fest," Maggie groans as she puts her head back down on the table.

"Let's see what else I can get you to eat," Helen says as she opens the fridge.

She pulls out various containers and puts them on the counter. She starts opening the small plastic boxes looking for something that Maggie might be able to eat. Some items end up in the garbage and the sound of them getting dumped draws Maggie's attention.

"What are you doing?" Maggie asks weakly.

"Trying to find you something to eat that isn't too spicy or too fuzzy," Helen answers as she tosses something else.

"Too fuzzy?" Maggie inquires confusedly.

"When was the last time you cleaned out your fridge?" Helen replies while she opens more containers. "I know you like a lot of green food, but green and fuzzy food isn't good for anyone. Ah, now this might do."

Getting out a salad plate and some cutlery, she serves up a small portion of food and then puts it in the microwave. When it's ready she takes it out and puts it in front of Maggie. Maggie just sits there and starts getting teary eyed.

"What's the matter?" Helen asks, befuddled by the other woman's reaction.

"This is from the first meal Abe made me," Maggie chokes out as she stares at the eggplant parmesan.

"Oh, good heavens, not again," Helen mumbles under her breath before she raises her voice a bit. "Would you like me to make you something else?"

"No," Maggie squeaks with a sniff. "This is good."

Helen watches for a moment as Maggie picks up her fork and starts to finally eat. Helen returns to going through the containers, when she's done with those, she pulls more out and repeats the process. By the time she's done, the fridge has a lot more space in it and the garbage can is full. After taking the garbage out, she comes back in to find that Maggie has finished her dinner and her tea.

"Feeling better?" Helen asks.

"Yes, thank you," Maggie answers. "I'm sorry I pulled you away from your family Helen."

"It's alright," Helen reassures her with a smile. "I remember when I had my first bout of morning sickness. I could barely get out of bed. If I didn't have Doug there, I'm not sure what I would have done. I'm just thankful I had a very understanding boss at the time."

Maggie gives her a small smile just before she lets out a huge yawn.

"You should go get some sleep," Helen states as she clears the table. "Take some ginger ale up with you and some saltine crackers. Eat them slowly when you wake up in the morning and try not to sit up too quickly. The trick is to try and keep something in your stomach at all times."

"We'll keep that in mind, gracias," says a strange man's voice.

Helen all but jumps out of her skin as she spins around and faces the strangers standing in the doorway. An older Latino man leaning on a cane is in the forefront of the group; behind him are a very pregnant dark haired woman and another man that looks like a poster boy for the Boy Scouts.

"Hola, tio," Maggie greets. "Have you come to take me away?"

"Si," he answers.

"I can't go," Maggie states sadly. "Magick's in quarantine. I won't risk Helen's well being just because of a little morning sickness and depression."

"Then don't," Guillermo replies as he steps further into the kitchen. "You can commute. You have to come back with us. He needs you."

"Um, Maggie, what's going on?" Helen interrupts, confused and worried. "Who are these people?"

"I'm sorry, Helen," Maggie apologizes. "This is Guillermo, Liz and John. They're friends."

"Oh, um, hi," Helen says with a small wave and the others return her greeting each in their own way.

"Helen, thank you for all you've done," Maggie states. "Would you please excuse us? I would like to talk to them in private. I'll see you in the morning."

"If you're sure," Helen replies uncertainly.

"I am, thank you, Helen," Maggie assures her.

"Alright then, I'll see you in the morning," Helen responds still not sure that leaving her is a good idea.

"Good night, Helen," Maggie states a bit more firmly.

"Good night, Maggie," Helen automatically responds before she turns and heads out the kitchen door.

As soon as the door clicks shut, Guillermo turns to Liz and John.

"You two know what to do," he orders and they nod before disappearing back up the hall.

"And what are they going to do?" Maggie demands.

"They're going to get you packed," Guillermo replies as he takes a seat at the table across from her. "You're coming with us."

"But, Uncle…," she starts to protest.

"No 'buts', young lady," he states a bit harshly. "You're coming with us and that's final. Abe's making some weird noise and it's driven everyone out of the library. How am I supposed to do my job if I can't even get in there?"

"Wear earplugs," she suggests.

"Wouldn't do any good," he replies. "I could feel it as well as hear it."

"Manning won't want me there," she states, taking a different tactic. "I wasn't very civil towards him yesterday morning. Besides, what good would I be? I have no powers, so I can't help with missions. Unless, of course, they need a monster thrown up on."

"I'll deal with Manning," he responds. "And have your eyes fallen out of your head? You can always help me with research. I trust you can get yourself to the bathroom in time if the need arises and you won't be without your powers forever, just until the second trimester."

"I just can't do it, Uncle," she mutters sadly. "I can't live down there."

"Ok, tell me what's really bothering you?" he demands. "You're an Earth Mage; living in the ground isn't a problem."

"But I'm an Air Mage, too," she points out. "I like hearing the crickets chirping at night and the birds singing in the morning. I like the feeling of a breeze blowing across my face as I fall asleep and the smell of flowers blooming just outside my window as I wake."

"Your bedroom is on the second floor, how in the world can flowers be blooming outside your window?" he demands.

"There's morning glory growing up the side of the house," she answers. "I spent a week at the bureau last November, and by the end of the week I was about ready to climb the walls. I just can't go without the fresh air like that."

"Abe hasn't eaten or slept since he got back," he asks roughly, playing his trump card.

"Should he just suffer because you want to feel a breeze across you cheek? I'll buy you a fan if I need to."

"No," she answers with a sad sigh, bowing her head in defeat. "I'll come with you."

"We'll work something out," he assures her as he reaches out and pats her hand. "You'll have fresh air again."

"Swear?" she demands weakly.

"I promise."

Her head snaps up to stare at him wide eyed as a small earthquake rattles the house. Even without the ability to use her own powers, she can still feel his binding him to her. They stare at each other, him with calm sureness and her in stunned surprise, until John comes bursting into the room.

"Is everyone alright?" he asks in concern.

"We're fine, thank you," Guillermo replies with a smile. "How goes the packing?"

"Liz is almost done," John answers, still slightly shaken. "Whose car should I put the bags in?"

"You can put them in mine," Maggie responds. "The keys are next to the garage door."

"Are you up to driving?" John inquires, concerned by her rather haggard look.

"Probably not," she replies. "Would you mind driving me to the bureau?"

"No, of course not," John answers with a kind smile.

* * *

Some time later, two cars pull into the garage of the BPRD and find a fidgety Hellboy waiting for them. As soon as Guillermo's car is in its spot, Hellboy is opening Liz's door. As soon as she's out of the car, he pulls her into his arms and gives her a kiss that sparks her fire.

"Ok, you two, away from my car if you're going to do that," Guillermo grumbles as he emerges from the vehicle.

Liz blushes as she quickly douses her flame while Hellboy glances over at the second car. His sight is greeted with John's backside sticking out of the passenger door.

"Hey, Boy Scout, whatcha doin'?" Hellboy yells over to the agent.

After hitting his head on the edge of the door and muttering the appropriate curses, John stands up and looks at the demon while rubbing his head.

"She fell asleep on the way over," John explains. "I'm trying to get her out of the car. I'm not going to have to take her into the library am I?"

"Yes, you are," Guillermo answers, knowing that the question was aimed at him. "Sorry, my boy, but I can't very well carry her and Abe needs to see her pronto."

Grumbling under his breath, John turns back to the car and starts to pull the sleeping woman out. After he nearly drops her, Liz pokes Hellboy in the ribs and then nods her head towards them. With a disgruntled sigh, Hellboy goes over to the other car and easily picks Maggie up.

"Thanks," John sighs in relief. "I'll go get her bags."

A few minutes later finds Hellboy and John in the hallway just outside the library doors.

"You ready?" Hellboy asks.

"No, but let's get this over with," John answers as he puts a bag down and opens the door.

If anything, the keening has become even more intense than before. Hellboy starts to make a beeline for the stairs, but a suddenly very awake Maggie stops him. She struggles to get out of his arms and Hellboy more than gladly complies as it means he can now beat a hasty retreat. John quickly drops the bags off just inside the library doors and then follows Hellboy out the door, closing the portal soundly behind him.

Maggie stands in the middle of the library letting the sound of her husband fill her to the point of near orgasm. She staggers across the room, almost blind with desire and runs into the glass of the tank with a resounding thud. The keening suddenly stops and Abe pokes his head out of the hole on the side of the tank where he has been hiding.

Upon seeing Maggie just on the other side of the glass, he wastes no time in getting to the top of his tank. Within moments he's all but flying down the spiral staircase as she goes to meet him at the bottom step.

No words are exchanged as they fall into each other's arms. Several minutes of passionate kissing later and they're both gasping for breath, him more so than her. She suddenly finds herself scooped up into his arms as he carries her back upstairs and into the room that gives him access to his tank.

He puts her back down on her feet and closes the door, pinning her between him and it. She reaches behind her and locks the door as his lips find hers once more. They kiss until they can barely stand and she's very glad to have the door behind her for support.

"Wait here," he whispers into her ear and all she can do is nod her compliance.

He goes over to the shelf with his respirator and grabs a length of hose with an air mask attached to it. She remembers it from the time he helped her with her nightmares and smiles knowingly. He hands her the mask just before letting out a couple coils of the thin black hose. He walks to the edge of his tank and throws the rest of the tubing into the water, a second later he disappears after it.

As soon as he's gone, she's starts to strip, never letting go of the mask. By the time he reemerges, she's completely naked. One look at her nude form and he's painfully reminded how tight his shorts are. Doing a single summersault underwater rids him of the binding garment and he lets it go.

When his head breaks the surface once again, she's sitting on the edge putting the mask on. Pushing the shorts floating in front of him out of his way, he runs his hands up her legs making her moan just from his touch.

As soon as the mask is in places she leans down and places her hands on his shoulders. He reaches up and grabs hold of her waist. Kicking off of the wall, he pulls her into the water and more importantly into his arms.

His lips find her neck as they sink underwater and he licks, kisses and nips at it, causing her to squirm in his arms. Her warm wet naked body moving against his is more than he can take. He quickly pushes her against one of the sides of the tank and she gladly wraps her legs around his waist.

He holds onto the wall with his suction cups as her arms join her legs in encircling his torso. He smoothly slides into her and immediately starts to move in her. Her hip match his as they desperately make love. Again and again he slams into her causing her to cry out her pleasure. All too soon, it's more than either of them can take and they quickly plunge over the edge screaming each other's names.

A short eternity later and they find themselves floating in the middle of the tank. She's still wrapped around his torso and he's not sure when he let go of the wall, but he doesn't care as he holds her closer. She snuggles into him, tucking her head under his chin. He feels her breathing and heartbeat as they first return to normal and then begin to slow down.

"Will you please stay with me here?" he begs quietly not sure if she's still awake.

"Yes," she mumbles into his chest just before she drifts off to sleep.

He purrs with happiness as for the first time in nearly two days he relaxes into sleep.

* * *

**A/N:** Did I mention that I'm not leaving for vacation until the 30th? Did I also mention that I'm the world's biggest tease? Please see previous chapter about how evil I am. :grin: Ok, kids, it looks like this story has one more chapter to go, so please review. 


	23. Solutions

"**HAVE YOU TWO NO BLOODY SHAME?"**

Maggie and Abe all but hurt each other and themselves as they're shocked out of a sound sleep. Maggie's disorientation after being woken up so rudely plus the confusion of not knowing where she is at first, does nothing to help her stomach. Abe recovers first and turns them so that his back is to the window and he's between Maggie and the glass.

"Good morning, Guillermo," Abe greets as nonchalantly as possible considering the shorts he normally wears is currently floating around the top of his tank.

The combination of him suddenly spinning her around and the natural rocking motion of the water cause her stomach to go into revolt very quickly. Clamping her teeth shut, she pushes away from him and swims as quickly as she can towards the surface. Once she's there, she's reminded that there's no ladder out of the tank. Grabbing onto the side, she starts too desperately try and drag herself out of the water.

"Don't you 'good morning' me, mister," Guillermo snaps. "What the hell do you two think you're doing in there? On second thought, don't answer that question."

Abe smiles to himself as he follows Maggie up to the surface to find his shorts. But his clothes become the least of his worries when he sees her desperately trying to get out of the tank. She's already removed the mask and is now scrabbling to get out of the water. He swims closer, making a mental note to have them top off the water in his tank since it's a good six inches below where it's supposed to be.

He's not sure why she wants to get out so badly, but he swims up beneath her being mindful of her thrashing legs. He places his hands on her backside to give her a push but instead is overcome by a wave of nausea that sends him for a loop. By the time he shakes his head clear of the feeling; he has sunk several feet below her.

"Abe you might want to help her get out before she does anything that will require emptying your tank," Guillermo warns from his spot down in the library.

Forewarned this time, Abe goes back up to her and manages to help her get out without any accidents. He climbs out after her and finds her on her hands and knees over the drain in the middle of the floor throwing up. He goes over to the table at the side of the room and brings back the stack of towels that are usually kept there.

Once her stomach is empty, she collapses onto the floor careful to avoid anything that missed the drain. She lies there in a fetal position, trembling and panting. It's impossible to tell if the moisture on her upper lip and brow are from the water in the tank or sweat. He kneels down beside her and begins to dry her off, wrapping her in the soft, warm dry towels as he finishes an area.

Shortly after finishing his task and putting a folded up towel under her head for a pillow, there's a knock at the door. Grabbing a towel, Abe wraps it around his waist before opening the door to Guillermo. Guillermo hands Abe a plastic bag and a small over night bag. Abe looks in the plastic bag to find a box of saltine crackers and a bottle of ginger ale inside.

"Helen said that those things would help with the morning sickness," Guillermo tells Abe before the merman can ask about the items. "The other bag is toiletries I believe. I'll chew you two out after she's feeling better."

"In that case, I'll be sick for the next nine months," comes a muffled voice from the floor.

"Nice try, my dear, but I'm a patient man," he says as he turns to go. "I'll wait. Besides, who else is going to take care of Magick?"

With that parting shot, Guillermo leaves, chuckling as he departs. Abe shuts the door and places the toiletry bag on the ground as she groans in misery. He smiles as he steps over to her and sits down next to her. Picking up her 'pillow', she repositions herself to lay her head in his lap and then rolls over.

He suppresses a groan as the proximity of her to him is causing a certain part of his anatomy to wake up. He slightly repositions her so that she can't see how she's affecting him while the towel he has on starts to pretend it's a tent. He's so busy trying to control himself that at first he doesn't notice her moving around.

"What are you doing?" he asks, inwardly cringing at the hitch in his voice.

"Trying to find something to cover the drain," she answers. "The smell's getting to me."

He quickly grabs one of the used towels and throws it over the opening. With a sigh of relief, she settles back down and rubs her cheek against the towel in his lap. He bites his lip as his 'tent poll' attempts to stand up straighter and he grabs the last couple clean towels to cover her in.

"What'd Uncle bring me?" she asks wearily.

"Saltine crackers, ginger ale and your toiletry bag," he answers as he reopens the plastic bag and pulls out the box of crackers.

"Breakfast o' champions," she jokes as she looks up at the box he's now opening.

"Open," he orders as he pulls out the first square.

She does as she's told and he sticks the item in her mouth. For the next several minutes he feeds her crackers and soda until she refuses to eat any more. He puts the cap back on the bottle and closes the box, relieved that the distraction has deflated his libido for now.

With a groan, she slowly pushes herself into a sitting position. He watches as she sits there for a few minutes. When she feels she's ready, she finally stands up on shaky legs, letting the towels fall to the ground. He stands up beside her, supporting her when she slightly wobbles.

"I need to get to the bathroom," she admits.

"Are you going to be sick again?" he asks worriedly.

"No," she replies. "I just need the bathroom."

"Ah," he responds, finally getting it.

He gently turns her towards where his water closet used to be and watches with amusement the look on her face. Her eyes are really big and her mouth is hanging open.

"Wha…what happened to the bathroom?" she finally manages to get out, staring at the large open space in the wall where the water closet used to be.

"Come and find out," he urges as he pulls her towards the opening.

He pulls her towards the entrance and they step into the next room. He turns on the light and he didn't think it was possible, but her eyes get even bigger.

The large room is bare except for king sized bed devoid of any bedding in the center of one wall. On the far side of the room is a door and from what she can see through the doorway, it's the bathroom. She walks the rest of the way into the bedroom and spots an alcove situated next to the bathroom that looks like it's big enough for a desk and chair and maybe a bookcase, but right now it's empty. She finally turns back to him, confusion and bewilderment clearly written across her features.

"What…why…," she stutters, not sure what question to ask first.

"It's your room," he explains with a silly grin on his face. "Liz wanted to decorate it, but I thought it best to let you do that."

"But…how? Why?" she questions, still confused.

"The rest of the space up here wasn't being used, so I talked Manning into letting me convert it," he answers. "Even if you won't stay here permanently, I thought this was nicer than staying in one of those tiny little spare rooms the bureau has. Do you like it?"

"It's wonderful," she assures him and gives him a quick peek on the cheek.

She quickly heads for the restroom and he follows her, but she stops him at the door.

"I still need to use the bathroom," she reminds him.

"Sorry," he replies, turning a deeper blue than normal.

After she shuts the door, he collects her bag that Guillermo brought up and brings it back to the bathroom. He hands it to her when she opens the door. She smiles her thanks and then disappears back into the bathroom.

He goes back to his tank and sees his shorts have had the discourtesy of being on the other side of the pool. He dives in and quickly swims across to the wayward garment and puts it on as fast as he can. After he's done, he gets out and gets fully dressed before heading back to the bathroom.

"I'm going to go downstairs to get the rest of your luggage. Is there anything else you need?" he asks as he sticks his head in and sees she's getting ready to take a shower.

"Something more to eat would be nice," she requests as she tests the temperature of the water.

He nods that he heard her and heads back out. Once he exits their quarters, he can hear raised voices from down below. It's Guillermo and Manning and they seem to be discussing Maggie and him, but mostly it seems about Maggie.

"I don't want her here and that's final!" Manning demands. "She yelled at me, swore at me and Abe had to restrain her from attacking me."

"Actually, I was closing her robe since she had forgotten to tie it shut," Abe states as he makes his way down the stairs. "Guillermo, would you please have the kitchens send down some breakfast for Maggie? Preferably something that won't upset her stomach."

Manning stares at Abe in stunned surprise, his mouth hanging open like a caught fish as Guillermo does as he was asked, trying hard not to laugh at the same time. Abe struggles to keep the smile that wants to come out, in, while he walks past the speechless director. The merman collects Maggie's luggage and starts for the stairs.

"Why would food upset her stomach?" still shocked in realizing that he had been flashed, Manning asks about the one thing his mind can seem to latch onto.

"She has morning sickness," Abe replies as he starts climbing up the steps.

"SHE'S PREGNANT?" Manning yells.

"Shouting about it isn't going to change anything," Guillermo calmly tells him as he hangs up the phone.

"Great," Manning grumbles. "First a baby red monkey and now a guppy."

"Guppies," Abe corrects half way up the stairs. "She's having twins."

Guillermo lets out a whoop and a holler of joy as Manning stutters, flabbergasted by the news. Abe finishes his climb quietly chuckling, wishing he could see the look on Manning's face. Maybe he'll ask Guillermo for a 'look' later, but right now there are more important things on his mind.

After dropping the bags off in the bedroom, he goes into the bathroom and finds her still in the shower. She stands there fully luxuriating in the cascade of water pouring over her. He watches as she rubs her hands over her body, obviously enjoying herself and he's instantly reminded that foam neoprene still doesn't stretch.

He must have unconsciously made a sound because she suddenly looks around and spots him in the doorway. She smiles a knowing smile and crooks a finger at him, inviting him in. He strips so fast that he's surprised that he didn't break the sound barrier doing it.

As soon as he's free of all of his gear he slides into the shower with her. She instantly wraps her arms around his neck, being mindful of his gills and pulls him down for a kiss. He gladly pulls her warm wet body closer and he can feel more blood draining to that one spot in his body. When they finally part, she puts her head on his chest and holds him even closer.

"What took you so long?" she teases as her hands start to randomly wander around his body.

"Manning was downstairs having a fit about you being here," he finally manages to answer after convincing some of his blood to return to his brain and he feels her hands stop moving.

"Is he going to make me leave?" she asks in a hushed whisper, slightly trembling.

"No," he responds, forcing her to look up at him. "I won't let him. When you weren't here all I could think about was you. I can't function without you here."

"But I need to go and take care of Magick," she reminds him. "Will you be alright while I'm gone?"

"Will you come back?" he asks, tensing and pulling away slightly.

"I will be back tonight," she assures him and he noticeably relaxes. "I was so miserable without you."

"I could only think about how much I missed you and wanted you when I returned," he confesses. "I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep. But now that I know that you'll be back tonight, I'll be fine."

"You'll eat something while I'm gone won't you?" she questions as she relaxes back into his arms.

"Of course," he whispers as he gladly holds her to him.

All he can think about how happy he is at this particular point in time. Then her hands start to wander again and suddenly, thinking is no longer an option. A certain organ that had quieted down when they were talking is suddenly very awake and pushing into her stomach.

A low groan resonates through his chest as her hands slide down his back, over his backside and onto the back of his thighs before reversing their course up the front of him all the while avoiding the now pulsing member. His own hands develop minds of their own and begin to caress and explore her body eliciting moans out of her. Soon their lips find each other and the passionate kissing leave them with nothing more than a need to fill.

He pulls her up into his arms and she wraps her legs around his waist while he leans her against the cool tile wall. After bracing himself, he pushes into her heat and all but completely loses control. After holding her for a few seconds, he starts to move forcing little mewls from her. She tightens her muscles around him causing him to shudder and to pick up the pace. She can no longer kiss him as her cries become more intense as she feels herself racing towards the precipice. Suddenly, she feels him get larger just as her body convulses with her orgasm and a second later he stands there shuddering as the pressure inside of him is released with one final thrust.

A short eternity later, he lowers her back down onto her shaky legs. After making sure that she's able to stand on her own, he turns off the water and exits the shower. She slowly follows him and finds her self wrapped in a rather thread worn towel. She looks at it critically and then looks up at him.

"It's what I could get without Manning throwing a tantrum," he explains with an elegant shrug. "And we used all the towels by my tank earlier."

"Ok, so I now need bedding, pillows and towels," she notes as she dries off. "Obviously I can't have things delivered, so how do I get the stuff from my house to here? The smaller stuff I can just put in my car, but there's no way I'm getting my desk into a Jag."

"Hmm, I'm not sure," he replies while he redresses. "Let me check and I'll let you know."

"Where'd you get the bed from?" she asks as she walks back into the rather spacious, if empty bedroom.

"The frame used to be Hellboy's youth bed," Abe tells her as he watches her open the first bag. "But he became too big for it when he was around eleven or twelve. I got one of the other agents to bring in a new mattress and box spring."

"He outgrew it?" she asks incredulously, stopping what she's doing to turn and look at him. "It's a California king size bed. How did he outgrow it?"

"By weight," he answers simply.

Shaking her head, she goes back to her task of finding clothing to wear. After searching both bags she finally comes up with clothing to wear for the day. Just as she's finishing getting dressed, there's a soft knock at the door to Abe's tank room.

Abe answers the door and admits Guillermo and John. John brings in a tray of food for Maggie consisting of a bagel, a glass of orange juice and a cup of tea. She can smell the mint tea from where she stands in the doorway of the bedroom and it makes her feel a little bit better. Abe takes the tray from John and thanks him as John nods and then leaves.

After Abe places the tray on the table that normally has his towels, she sits down and starts to eat. Guillermo stays, leaning against the wall, with a half angry half amused look on his face. He says nothing for quite some time, but just watches as she eats and Abe starts to pick up the towels strewn all over the floor.

"I think you two should know," Guillermo begins, "that your, ahem, 'activities' last night were caught on the library's security cameras."

Tea and bagel crumbs get sprayed half way across the room as Maggie starts choking on her breakfast. Abe drops the towels to go and check on her. He's not sure if the red in her face is from the choking or the embarrassment. He's fairly sure his own face has become rather dark as well.

"Fortunately, you two managed to keep the show limited by squirreling your selves away in a corner while you enjoyed some marital bliss," he continues, barely stopping the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "However, the microphones in the tank are very sensitive so as to catch anything Abe says from wherever he is in the tank so there was not much left to the imagination. Then you two had to go and fall asleep right in front of the window of the tank. From what I understand, the fellows that watch the camera input were having quite a good time..."

"Oh, dear god," Maggie mumbles just before she falls out of her chair.

Abe manages to catch her just before she hits the floor. He lifts her limp form into his arms and carries her into the bedroom. After lying her down on the bare bed, he looks up at Guillermo who followed him in.

"She's feinted," Abe states.

"When she's feeling up to it, I'd like you both to come downstairs," Guillermo requests.

"Don't you think she's been embarrassed enough?" Abe snaps as he sits next to her on the bed and starts stroking her hair.

"I have no intention of embarrassing her further," Guillermo calmly replies. "As I was about to say before she feinted, they were enjoying the show until Liz walked in. Unfortunately, she didn't walk in until you two were, shall we say, finishing the job. Liz has destroyed all of the footage and has threatened anyone who teases either one of you with a good singeing. Then she sent Hellboy to guard the library door until I came in this morning. So while everyone heard you two love fish going at it, no one saw anything but me, and trust me when I tell you I was trying not to get an eye full."

"So why do you want to see us downstairs?" Abe asks as Guillermo turns to leave.

"We have your wedding present," Guillermo answers with a mischievous smile as he disappears through the door.

Abe remains where he is as Guillermo exits through the outside door. Just as the door clicks shut, Maggie moans and begins to stir. Abe continues to pet her hair until her eyes finally open. She takes one look at him, cringes and then curls up into a ball with her back to him.

He quickly strips off his top and gloves, lies beside her and pulls her to him. She wiggles around until she's facing him and then wraps her arms around his torso. Trembling, she clenches him in a bear hug. Once again, he's thankful that he doesn't need lungs to breathe as he hears her pop a couple of his vertebrae.

"I'm never leaving this room again," she mumbles into his chest.

"And who's going to take care of Magick?" he gently teases as he strokes her still damp hair. "I'm fairly sure Manning won't let me do it."

"Well, let me know when you're sure," she replies, refusing to look up at him.

"Maggie, you can't stay up here forever," he tells her gently.

"Watch me," she retorts.

"They're waiting for us downstairs," he informs her. "They want to give us our wedding present."

"Forget it," she growls. "It's probably just a lure so they can tease us."

"There will be no teasing," he assures her, he then proceeds to tell her what Guillermo told him.

"You seriously think they're not going to tease us?" she asks, still doubtful.

"And risk Liz's wrath?" he returns. "I don't think anyone's that stupid."

"What Hellboy?" she questions.

"Him least of all," he replies. "He may be fire proof, but he's not Liz guilt proof. When she wants to, she can make him feel two inches tall. I've seen her do it."

"You're absolutely sure that we're not going to get teased?" she demands, finally looking up into his eyes.

"I'm sure," he responds. "I would have known if Guillermo was lying, and he wasn't."

With a sigh, she finally releases him and slowly sits up. He sits up next to her and pulls her into his arms. She sits there limply, head bowed in shame.

"I feel like such an idiot," she admits.

"I know the feeling," he replies with a quiet chuckle. "We're going to have to figure something out if we want to keep having 'marital bliss' in the tank."

"We are so not doing it again in the tank," she insists, sitting up and staring him in the eye.

"Not any time soon at any rate," he assures her as he carefully brushes back a stray lock of hair. "But I did like having you in there with me. I would love to go to sleep like that every night."

"So would I, my love," she admits as she catches the hand brushing her hair out of her face with one of hers.

She kisses the palm and then kisses each of the suction cups on his hand. A shiver runs through his body and she can see him changing colors again out of the corner of her eye. Suddenly, she finds herself on her back and pinned to the bed with him on top of her while his lips claim hers in a mind blowing kiss.

"When you get home tonight," he lustfully growls when he finally lets her up for air, "we're going to christen this bed properly."

He gets up and dresses while she lies there panting, staring at the ceiling. After he's dressed, he exits the bedroom to finish cleaning up his tank room. She takes another good look around and notices something she'd missed before.

"Abe," she calls.

"Yes?" he responds from the next room.

"Is there any other way to get into this room other than through the tank room?" she asks as she finally gets off the bed.

"No," he answers coming back into the room. "I can have them put in another door if you like, but I thought it would be better to discourage people from disturbing us when we're up here. Do you want another door?"

"I don't know," she replies as she goes in search of her shoes. "Let's see how well this works, and then I'll let you know."

"Fair enough," he responds, finding the wayward items for her. "Are you ready to go downstairs?"

"Thanks," she says as she takes her work boots from him. "I'm not sure I'll ever be ready to face them, but I guess I have no choice. We might as well get it over with sooner than later."

"It's going to be alright," he assures her as he watches her put on her shoes. "They're our friends."

With a resigned sigh, she nods and they finally leave. Abe nearly has to drag her down the stairs once she sees everyone waiting for them, but they finally do make it to the bottom without her bolting back upstairs. They get settled in a couple of chairs that have been saved for them and as soon as she sits down, Wizard jumps up into her lap.

"Hey, Wiz," she greets as she starts to pet the big ball of fluff. "How are you doing? Making yourself to home I see. Guess we'll have to get you moved in upstairs too."

The big cat just purrs as he starts to knead her lap and makes himself comfortable. When he's finally settled, she looks up at the others. With a smile, Guillermo comes over and hands them a piece of paper. After reading what's been handed to them, their eyes go very wide.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Maggie is relocking Magick's barn door when Doug catches up with her.

"Good morning, Maggie," he greets. "How are you feeling?"

"Good morning, Doug," she replies. "I'm feeling better, thank you. Where's Helen?"

"She's off working with Spirit," he answers. "She can actually get into the corral with him now. I'm not sure what Abe did to him, but he's much easier to work around now. Think he could do the same with Magick?"

"It's possible," she replies as she starts to head to the other side of the ranch. "Not that it'll matter."

"Why's that?" he asks as he follows her.

"I'll tell you in a minute," she responds as they reach the fence of the quarantine pen. "Good morning, Helen."

"Good morning, Maggie," Helen replies as she looks up from grooming Spirit. "Do you believe this? He lets me touch him now. Tell Abe 'thank you' from me. Spirit is such a sweet horse, and to think we might have had to destroy him if Abe hadn't helped. By the way, how are you feeling?"

"Better, thank you," Maggie replies. "I'll let Abe know about Spirit this evening."

"So, are you going to tell us why Abe working with Magick won't matter?" Doug asks, leaning on the newly repaired fence.

"Because, I'm going to be moving him as soon as he's out of quarantine," Maggie answers. "I'm moving to be closer to Abe's work and I'm taking Magick with me."

"But, what about the ranch?" Helen asks in shock.

"I'll still be around when you need me, but I think it's time you took over the full operations of the ranch," Maggie responds. "You do most of the work any ways. All I really do is taking care of Magick."

"What about your house?" Doug asks. "Are you going to keep it or are you going to sell it?"

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do," she replies. "It's going to be a while before the new house is built, but when it is, I'll make my decision."

"I'm not sure I can run this place by myself," Helen admits. "Even with Doug's help, we keep getting more animals, but I can only do so much in one day."

"So we'll hire you an assistant," Maggie states.

"I don't know, the last two gals just didn't work out," Helen replies hesitantly.

"So? I went through several ranch managers before I hired you, Helen," Maggie informs her. "We just have to be patient and sooner or later, we'll find the right person."

"Ok, Maggie, if that's what you want," Helen concedes.

"I think it's for the best," Maggie smiles. "And look at it this way, without Magick here, your job's going to be a lot easier."

"True," Helen chuckles.

With that, Maggie leaves and starts to head for the house. She's so engrossed with her thoughts that she doesn't notice she's being followed until a hand touches her shoulder. She lets out a yelp of surprise, but when she turns to look at her assailant, she's not sure who's more shocked, her or Doug.

"That's got to be the first time I've ever been able to startle you," he states in shock.

"I was busy thinking about other things," she admits, still slightly flustered. "Is there something you wanted?"

"Huh? Oh, yea," he stammers and it takes him several tries before he finally manages to blurt out what he has on his mind. "I was wondering, uh, if you do decide to sell the house, um, would you consider selling it to us?"

"I guess it is getting kind of crowded in that little house with two growing kids," she states. "But don't you think my place would be a bit too big for just the four of you? It has five bedrooms, four bathrooms and couple rooms that I've never even used."

"Well, it's just that, we're not going to be four for much longer," he admits hesitantly.

"What do you mean?" she questions worriedly.

"I guess Helen hasn't told you," he starts.

"Told me what?" she demands, quickly approaching panic.

"She's pregnant," he admits.

"She's pregnant?" she asks, confused. "But I thought you two weren't planning on having any more children. In fact, didn't you do something to prevent having any more babies?"

"We weren't and I did," he affirms. "I went and got tested. The vasectomy reversed itself. I guess God wants us to have another baby."

"I guess so," she laughs. "If I do decide to sell, you two will be the second to know."

"Second?" he inquires with a head tilt that seems all too familiar to her.

"I think my husband should know first," she states with a smile.

"True," he admits. "Thanks, Maggie. It means a lot to us."

"Your welcome, Doug," she replies.

With that, they go their separate ways, him back towards the ranch, her back up to the house to start packing.

* * *

Several hours later, she's just finishing making the new bed when Abe walks in. He picks up the discarded packaging from the sheets and examines it.

"Why did you buy new sheets?" he asks.

"As amazing as it sounds, I didn't have sheets that already fit," she explains as she places the final pillow on the bed.

"It looks nice," he states as he drops the plastic bag it came in and walks up to her. "To bad it's about to get messed up."

She turns to look at him in confusion just as his mouth comes crashing down on hers. She gives out a squeak of surprise and then her eyes close as her hands come up to touch him. Some small part of in the back of her brain is very glad that she's touching scaly skin and not foam neoprene.

His lips continue their assault on her senses as they work their way over to her ear and neck, his hands start to rid her of her clothing. On the plus side, all she has to do is to get his shorts off. On the negative side, she has to get his shorts. By the time she gets the shorts to a point where she has to pull away from him, she's naked from the waist up and her own shorts are around her ankles.

She steps back out of her shorts and begins to work on his shorts with vigor. Sinking to her knees, she pulls the still wet material down to his feet. He quickly tugs his feet free of the binding stuff and then pulls her to her feet.

She looks up into his eyes and becomes mesmerized by their shear beauty. The spell is broken when he finally has to blink and their lips meet once more. Gently, slowly they start to explore each other with hands, lips and tongues.

She's not sure when they went from standing to lying down, but at this point in time, she's just glad that they are. His lips start to work their way down her jaw line, neck, collar bone and finally her chest. His exploring mouth finds her nipple causing her to gasp as he begins to suck and lick the tight pink bud.

She can barely take it any more and then a brief memory floats to the surface of her mind. She turns towards one of his hands that just happens to be stroking her hair. She captures the appendage with one of her own and begins to kiss the palm and eventually the suction cups. She's barely aware that he has stopped his ministrations to her breast as she puts her full concentration on exploring his hand with the tip of her tongue. It's when she starts to suck on his hand that it's suddenly pulled away and she's now facing a very aroused husband.

She opens her legs and he gratefully slides himself into her. She moans with the pure pleasure of the feeling of his cool hardness slipping into her hot center. He moves slowly at first, driving her crazy. Fortunately for her sanity, soon he picks up the pace and her moans become cries that echo off of the walls of the nearly empty room. Her hips match his as he drives harder and faster into her, pushing them both to the point of no return. With an explosion of pure pleasure, they once more become one being for a few short moments in time.

As they lie there, wrapped around each other, gentle kisses and petting help them come down from their high. Some time later, he finally rolls off of her. He settles down next to her, pulling her into his arms. While her body willingly relaxes into him, her mind won't stop buzzing with all that's happened in the past twenty-four hours.

"You should get some sleep," he whispers as he kisses the top of her head.

"I wish I could," she admits with a sigh. "I can't stop thinking about our wedding present. I just can't figure out how they talked Manning into agreeing about the tunnel."

"We can ask them tomorrow," he mumbles as she wiggles into a more comfortable position. "Now go to sleep."

She can feel her mind start to quiet and she knows it's his doing. She doesn't mind as the last thoughts before she drifts off are about the new house that's going to be built for them on the property adjacent to the bureau with the secret tunnel underneath for them to get back and forth. With one final sigh, she drops off into oblivion to the feeling of being completely happy.

_Fini_

* * *

**A/N**: And so here ends this story. Yes, I know that some of you have been anxiously waiting for Hellboy and Liz's baby, but I thought that wonderful event deserved its own story. I leave on Saturday for three weeks, so I hope you can hang on for that long. I'll be writing while I'm gone, but it'll be by :gasp: long hand. 


End file.
